SHIKARPUR, Oct 11: People’s Party Parliamentarians candidates for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats of Shikarpur, including Aftab Shahban Mirani, have alleged that they were defeated due to pre-poll rigging and poll rigging by their opponents.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Mirani, Agha Arsalan Khan, Siraj Durrani, Shabbir Ahmed Maher and Junaid Ahmed Soomro, alleged that the police officers and government functionaries helped their opponents to rig the election.

They alleged that Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Jatoi, the National Alliance candidate from NA-202 (Shikarpur-I) and PS-12 (Khanpur); Ghous Bux Maher, the PML (Q) candidate from NA-203 (Shikarpur-II) and PS-10 (Lakhi); and Zulfiqar Kumario, the PML (Q) candidate from PS-9 (Garhi Yasin); got their polling agents kidnapped and the voters were threatened not to vote for the PPP candidates.

The PPP leaders appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner to order re-election for the national and provin-cial assembly seats of the district.