AJK elections: PML-N’s chief organiser claims polls are already rigged
Saleem Zia has accused PPP, MQM and the election commissioner of corruption.
KARACHI:
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sindh chief organiser Saleem Zia has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of pre-poll rigging in the Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) elections.
He made the statement at a joint media conference with the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP) and PML-N at the press club. The JKPP candidate, Sardar Nazaqat, withdrew from the election in favour of PML-N’s candidate, Mirza Abdul Rasheed Jaral, for the constituency LA-30 in Jammu 1.
“When we saw that Mian Nawaz Sharif is principled in his politics, we decided to join with him,” said Nazaqat. “I was told by my party chief to withdraw in favour of PML-N’s Mirza Abdul Rasheed Jaral. So I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the election.”
“We want free and fair elections in AJK and will not allow any sort of rigging, or terrorism in the polling,” added Nazaqat. Zia bashed the PPP and MQM, claiming that the polling scheme for LA-30 Jammu has not been issued by the election commission yet due to pressure from the PPP and MQM.
“The MQM wants polling stations near its sectors and the PPP is trying to get polling stations in their areas so that they can rig the elections like the previous one,” he claimed.
Zia felt that the scheme should be put together in front of all the political party candidates. He claimed that the AJK election commissioner is in cahoots with the political parties that are trying to rig the election, making it impossible to hold a fair one. The list of voters is also incomplete, he added. “We want to tell the PPP and MQM that we don’t want this election to be like the previous one. Kashmir is a sensitive area and the whole world is focusing on it.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2011.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sindh chief organiser Saleem Zia has accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of pre-poll rigging in the Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) elections.
He made the statement at a joint media conference with the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP) and PML-N at the press club. The JKPP candidate, Sardar Nazaqat, withdrew from the election in favour of PML-N’s candidate, Mirza Abdul Rasheed Jaral, for the constituency LA-30 in Jammu 1.
“When we saw that Mian Nawaz Sharif is principled in his politics, we decided to join with him,” said Nazaqat. “I was told by my party chief to withdraw in favour of PML-N’s Mirza Abdul Rasheed Jaral. So I am announcing that I am withdrawing from the election.”
“We want free and fair elections in AJK and will not allow any sort of rigging, or terrorism in the polling,” added Nazaqat. Zia bashed the PPP and MQM, claiming that the polling scheme for LA-30 Jammu has not been issued by the election commission yet due to pressure from the PPP and MQM.
“The MQM wants polling stations near its sectors and the PPP is trying to get polling stations in their areas so that they can rig the elections like the previous one,” he claimed.
Zia felt that the scheme should be put together in front of all the political party candidates. He claimed that the AJK election commissioner is in cahoots with the political parties that are trying to rig the election, making it impossible to hold a fair one. The list of voters is also incomplete, he added. “We want to tell the PPP and MQM that we don’t want this election to be like the previous one. Kashmir is a sensitive area and the whole world is focusing on it.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2011.