PTI, JI accuse PPP of rigging Sindh LG polls

PTI Karachi president says party will raise the issue of rigging in the by-elections at every forum

KARACHI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Monday accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of rigging in Sindh’s local bodies by-polls held yesterday. 

PTI Karachi President Aftab Siddiqui has said that the party will raise the issue of rigging in the by-elections at every forum.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, he claimed that the door of the polling station was broken in Korangi no 2. He further alleged that a minor child voter was registered in Nazimabad UC 6.

Siddiqui furthered that in New Karachi, the PPP did not perform well but received a number of votes. He said that 400 ballot papers were seized from outside the polling station.

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The PTI leader added that the Karachi Police has become “jiyala”– a term politically associated with PPP stalwarts – and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) staff is also a “jiyala”. 

He furthered that political and government officials are siding with each other, claiming that forms 11 and 12 were already signed and stamped. He informed that letters have been sent to the ECP, alleging them of bias for becoming "a party in this election".

“If rigging was to be done, then what was the need to hold elections?” he questioned.

Siddiqui furthered that elections should be conducted neutrally, adding that the first requirement of democracy is a transparent election.

JI claims workers abused

In a separate development, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also accused the ruling PPP of rigging and said that the party workers were abused throughout the day of the polls.

“They [JI workers] were tortured, efforts were made to expel the polling agent, yet our workers fought hard,” he added.

Naeem furthered that the “worst situation was in New Karachi UC 13 and 4”, adding that “the results were changed, many of our workers were also arrested”.

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He also accused the police of assisting the PPP. 

The JI leader added that according to Form 11 the party has won UC 4 but there was a delay in releasing the results.

“PPP is repeating history by forgery, we will expose the rigging in UC 13,” he added.

A day earlier, the first stage of local bodies elections in Sindh was completed after the by-elections on 63 seats of different categories in 24 districts of Sindh including 11 seats of UC chairman and vice chairman and 15 ward members of Karachi.

According to the unofficial results so far available PPP won seven seats and JI bagged four seats of chairman and vice chairman of UCs indicating that no single party can now bring in the mayor of its choice.