THATTA, Jan 16: Arbab Wazir Ahmed Memon, a PPP candidate for PS-86 Thatta-III (Bathoro-Sujawal constituency), announced boycotting of the by-elections while addressing a press conference at Mirpur Bathoro town on Wednesday.

Mr Arbab said that Syed Aijaz Shah Shirazi, an advisor to Sindh Chief Minister for Forest and Wildlife, and his brother, the Nazim Thatta, Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi, were visiting polling stations in their official vehicles to get their nephew, Syed Sarfaraz Shah Shirazi, elected.

He claimed that both of them threatened his polling agents, dragged them out and stamped ballot papers in bulk.

He said police and other district administration officials were puppets in the hands of the Shirazis.

He said that within minutes of the resumption of the polling process, his agents — Fayaz Samoon, Nadeem Khado, Munir Brohi, Baboo Baloch, Ghulam Qumbhar, Miss Shama, Reshman Memon, Qulsoom, and Razia Khatti — were forced to leave or dragged out of their respective polling stations at Saeedpur, Borano Bungalow, Usman Jakhro, Ranta, Belo, and the Bathoro Girls School.

Mr Arbab said after the October general elections, the Shirazi brothers had started manoeuvring for the by-elections on the PS-86 seat vacated by Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi, who opted to retain a seat for the National Assembly.

He said that the Shirazis in connivance with the district police lodged some 100 FIRs against their rivals, and abused their authority and state power to be successful in the by-elections.

He said 156 party activists were charge-sheeted in merely one case. He claimed that dozens of party activists and their relatives had been picked up by the police on Tuesday night and their whereabouts were not known.

He said that at least 40 of his vehicles for bringing voters in his constituency were forcibly diverted to Karachi by the police.

He said he had boycotted the by-elections not expecting the least bit of impartiality and fairness.

PML-Q: PML(Q) MNA Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi in a statement has termed the accusations of PPP candidate for PS-86 Arbab Wazir Ahmed Memon “fabricated and concocted” saying the PPP candidate had already lost his credibility amongst the general public and was merely striving on party support.

He claimed that however now the situation had changed and the people had acknowledged the sincere services of the Shirazi group in this district.

He said that the Shirazi group had already defeated PPP candidates in the last local bodies and October general elections.

He claimed that the rivals of the Shirazis had lost their political worth “owing to their ill deeds and distrust of voters”.

He boasted that the candidate of the Shirazi group on PS-86, Sarfaraz Shah Shirazi, was destined to win the by-elections.