Opposition demands CEC's resignation over alleged rigging in elections

Political parties say July 25 polls were an ambush on public mandate

QUETTA: The Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the National Party and other political parties on Thursday demanded immediate resignation of the chief election commissioner.

The joint opposition parties staged a rally in Quetta in which hundreds of political workers participated and chanted slogans against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for its “incompetence” in holding free and fair elections.



The protesters marched on various roads of Quetta and also staged a protest demonstration in front of the ECP’s Balochistan office.

PkMAP’s Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Molvi Muhibullah, PML-N’s Younus Baloch, Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) provincial president Haji Ali Madad Jattak, National Party’s Khair Jan Baloch and other leaders addressed the protesters.

“The Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan and four ECs should tender their resignations over their failure in conducting impartial elections,” a joint opposition leader said. “July 25 polls were an ambush on public mandate; therefore, the ECP must conduct re-elections in the country.”



PkMAP’s Ziaratwal said, “We strongly condemn the establishment’s role in weakening democracy. There was a plot of rigging in all constituencies of the country and they imposed fake leadership on the people of Balochistan.”

Ziaratwal said that the joint opposition would continue raising their voice against the alleged rigged elections on all platforms. He added that hidden powers would not be allowed to conspire against democratic powers.



JUI-F’s Muhibullah said that the 2018 general elections witnessed the worst example of rigging in the history of Pakistan. “We were under house arrest during elections. The JUI-F will continue protesting against blatant rigging and on the call of our central leaders all highways in Balochistan will be blocked if the ECP does not act on our demands,” he added.

PPP’s Jattak said, “Political parties and leaders have been striving for democracy for 50 years but are deliberately kept out of parliament.” He added that the people of Balochistan would not let them steal provincial resources through corrupt practices.

PML-N leader and Quetta Deputy Mayor Younus Baloch said, “We have been punished for being vocal for the supremacy of parliament.”