JI, GDA toughen stance against poll rigging in Sindh

Claims of a rigged election gained momentum in Sindh on Monday, as Hafiz Naeemur Rehman of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) relinquished his seat in the provincial assembly, while two elected Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) members opted not to take office as lawmakers.

These actions fuelled public suspicion surrounding the Feb 8 vote, already under scrutiny due to legal challenges. Both the JI and the GDA experienced significant setbacks, winning only a fraction of the seats they had secured in the 2018 elections. This context adds another layer to their accusations of rigging.

Rehman, the JI Karachi Ameer, told a news conference that he would not avail the PS-129, Karachi seat because the available Form 45 records showed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidate had actually bagged the majority of votes in the constituency.

“The Jamaat-e-Islami has been demanding transparency and fairness in the poll results and it will not seek a single seat or vote that is not cast for it,” he said, adding that this seat was a slap on the face of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Detailing the reasons behind his decision, he said that after a total count of the votes as per Form 45, it emerged that the he (Rehman) bagged 30,464 votes, while the PTI-backed independent received more votes than him. The ECP had declared Rehman the winner with over 26,000 votes.

“Jamaat-e-Islami believes in honesty and high moral values, so he would not avail the seat in favour of the PTI-backed independent candidate,” he said, adding that he did not want to be a part of a “nefarious game” run by the ECP. “Is this called an election,” he posed a question.

The JI leader said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and all those who were delivering victory speeches on the basis of rigged and fake mandate should be ashamed.

The GDA, meanwhile, which held a meeting in Karachi, with its head Pir Pagara Pir Sibghatullah Shah in the chair, called a protest sit-in on the Hyderabad Bypass on Feb 16, and invited other parties to join their protest against the election rigging.

Also read: JI's Hafiz Naeem forfeits PS-129 Sindh Assembly seat

“We reject these elections because these were an anti-state election,” Pir Pagara told reporters. “I call this election an anti-state election because [Zulfikar Ali] Bhutto had 60 seats and Mujibur Rahman had 107 seats [in the 1970 elections] and it is in front of everyone when the majority opinion was not accepted.”

Pir Pagara said that a friend had advised him to disband the GDA and contest the election from the platform of his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), by forming an alliance with the PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari and get his national and provincial assembly seats.

“But I said that the GDA can't be abolished, then a reply came that the result will be zero. Zero was written in front of the GDA and 15 was written in front of MQM.

“This is not the work of ROs (returning officers). If the entire province was to be handed over to Zardari, then what was the need for an election,” he charged.

“We are not anti-state people. We are because of this country. My father (late Pir Pagara Pir Shah Mardan Shah) always supported the army. He always advised us to go with the army but when you don't get respect and justice, we have the right to protest,” he said.

“We will protest peacefully against this bogus election. We are given two seats in charity? We will return these two seats, Zardari may need them,” he added.

On the occasion, GDA leader Safdar Abbasi announced: “Our two assembly members will not take oath.”

Abbasi said that the alliance would hold a sit-in at the Hyderabad Bypass on Friday. “We will expand the scope of our protest and contact other parties as well. There will be a protest outside the Sindh Assembly on the day of its maiden session.”

Pir Pagara said that the GDA’s protest would be peaceful and within the ambit of the law and no one would stop any ambulance or family cars during the protest.

When asked if the establishment could get angry because of the protest, he said: “When a son gets angry with his father, he leaves the house.”