BNP-M rejects by-poll results

Forms committee to recommend course of action

QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has alleged blatant rigging in the by-election in the PB-47 constituency of the provincial assembly, claiming that its candidate had won the elections but the results were changed.

Addressing a press conference at Quetta Press Club, central leaders of the BNP-M expressed reservations over the credibility of the by-election held in Kech.

Malik Nasir Shahwani, Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani, Advocate Sajid Tareen and Ghulam Nabi Mari were present on the occasion.
They alleged that the election had been rigged in favour of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidate.

Shahwani said, “According to unofficial results of 56 polling stations our candidate was leading against the BAP candidate with 5,686 votes, but the final results presented a different picture.”



The party was shocked to see the BAP candidate receiving thousands of votes from highly sensitive areas of Mand, he added.
Tareen said, “In Mand, electoral staff was busy in calling voters through loudspeakers, but only four votes were cast there. The ruling party’s candidate, however, succeeded in getting thousands of magic votes.”

The leaders announced that the BNP-M had formed a committee to recommend the course of action after discussing the party’s defeat in the by-election. They stressed that public mandate should be respected. “We have the right to protest over our stolen mandate,” they said.

Shahwani claimed that in the general elections some hidden powers had turned BNP-M’s victory into defeat in NA-265 and PB-31.

The party urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of the allegations of rigging in the constituency.