PML-Q rally: Deputy PM terms by-polls ‘a sham’

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi accuses PML-N of vote rigging and Punjab government of political victimisation.

FAISALABAD:

Deputy Prime Minister and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi lashed out against the election commission on Sunday, accusing it of turning a blind eye to ‘massive rigging’ in the recent by-polls.

Speaking at a public rally in Samundri here estimated to be 15,000 strong, he also claimed that his party would expose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which had emerged the biggest victor in the by-elections. Elahi deemed it unfortunate that the Supreme Court had taken no notice of the matter.

The deputy premier pointed out that while the media had declared that the turnout in the polls was at an all-time low, after polling time was over, ballot boxes were stuffed with bogus votes with the help of teachers, patwaris, SHOs and other officials. He said the purported turnout could not be believed to be authentic.

“I personally contacted Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, and apprised him about the malpractices and manipulation of the elections results and incidents of firing and intimidation by the PML-N with the blessing of the police and the administration – yet no action has been taken so far,” Elahi added.

His accusations did not end there. The deputy prime minister said, “It seems that PML-N and the Punjab government have either hijacked the election commission or it was handicapped and failed to ensure free and transparent elections.”



Elahi also claimed that arrangements have been made to “handle such a situation (in the future) and the results of the forthcoming general elections will be totally reversed”. He also declared that he was confident that the ‘cycle’ (PML-Q’s symbol) will dominate the general elections.

The deputy prime minister also accused the Punjab government of victimising political opponents, explaining that five ‘fake cases’ had been registered against former MPA Khalid Mehmood Nabi of the PML-Q and that several other cases had been registered against PML-Q activists and lawmakers, forcing them to change their loyalties.

Elahi dubbed Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif ‘anti-worker’ and ‘anti-farmer’, adding that although they owned two sugar mills in Faisalabad they had failed to make payments for sugarcane purchased from farmers there last year.

According to the deputy premier, his government left Punjab with a surplus of Rs100 billion but now the same province was bankrupt and crumbling under loans worth Rs500 billion.

Meanwhile, Sahibzada Fazle Karim of the Sunni Ittehad Council, who was also present at the gathering, said that terrorism was the root cause of Pakistan’s problems and that it was being nurtured by ‘some influential politicians and political parties’. Karim said these parties will not be allowed to win elections and continue to serve as patrons to terrorists.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2012.