KARACHI, Aug 18: The Pakistan People's Party on Wednesday accused the government of massive rigging and abuse of state apparatus in NA-229 Tharparkar by-elections.
Addressing a news conference at Bilawal House, deputy secretary-general of PPP Parliamentarians, Mian Raza Rabbani, alleged that the government harassed voters of his party candidate and put a party MPA under detention for several hours while she was trying to spot bogus voting.
Leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, Nisar Khuhro, in a long-distance call from Mitthi, alleged that the voters' list had been tampered with and many people, whose names were not on the list, were allowed to vote. He also accused Nazims of thronging polling stations in complete violation of election rules.
Releasing details of alleged rigging in Wednesday's vote, Mr Rabbani referred to the Notification No. F.5(119)/88-Cord dated 1st October 1988, according to which the National Assembly seat NA-176 Tharparkar III consisted of four talukas of Mithi, Diplo, Chachro and Nagar Parkar. The notification in question remained in force till 1997 and four general elections were held on this, he said.
Mr Rabbani pointed out that in the general elections of 2002 NA-176 Tharparkar was bifurcated into two National Assembly constituencies, namely, NA-229 Tharparkar 1 and NA-230 Tharparkar II. No new area was added to either of the two constituencies and the Talukas remained the same, Mithi, Diplo, Chachro and Nagar Parkar.
In a span of ten years - from 1988 to 1997 - 17,430 additional voters were registered, whereas in eight years the number of registered voters increased by 2,68,313. Mr Rabbani also claimed that at a polling station - Primary School Diplo - some of the agents of PPP candidate and covering candidate were being harassed by police and some of them had been forcibly removed from that polling station.
He also drew attention of the Election Commission to an alleged 'grave error' detected in the electoral list of NA-229. Eleven thousand four hundred and eighty-two voters of the Pakistan People's Party were found missing.
He also put on record that Ms Sassui Palijo, an MPA from Thatta, was threatened with dire consequences "if she continued to check the identity cards of voters." Sassui Palijo was stationed at the Government Girls Primary School of Diplo, where she was observing the alleged 'gross violation of electoral procedure.'
He also alleged that a close supporter of Mr Aziz, Ghulam Haider Sameejo, had forcibly entered the polling station of Amin Tals in Chachro and had thrown out PPP-P women polling agents from their booths. He was allegedly accompanied by armed people.
Our correspondent from Mitthi reports that leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro accused the Sindh government of harassing voters by deploying more than 5,000 rangers and police personnel in Tharparkar during the by-elections.
Talking to journalists at different places in Mithi and Islamkot, Mr Khuhro said the government employees had been deprived of their right of franchise. He further said that a line had been drawn in the voters' lists on the names of government employees without any signature or stamp.
He said that no law and order situation had been created in the district but the government itself tried to vitiate peaceful atmosphere. According to Mr Khuhro, 50 per cent ratio of polling showed the trend of one-sided voting.