A senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has urged the chief election commissioner (CEC) to take notice of “pre-poll rigging” by the ruling coalition.
Only weeks before the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is hiring loyalists on important government posts that could influence election results, PML-N Senator Tariq Azim said in a statement on Sunday.
He urged the CEC to “save the national exchequer from becoming PPP’s election war chest”.
Senator Azeem pointed out that the prime minister’s discretionary fund had been increased to Rs37 billion by slashing funding from crucial national projects like Basha Dam. Using development funds for PPP’s election campaign through the prime minister is blatant pre-poll rigging, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2013.
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PMLN accusing people of rigging?! I think Tariq Azeem didn't pay his cable bill during the recent Punjab by-elections and got his tv connection disconnected.
Mr. Tariq Azeem, what do you say about those DEVELOPMENT projects which have been started in the last three four months in various cities of Punjab and are being completed at express speed in this ELECTION Year..... whats that??? Both PPP and PML-N represent the same status-quo and yes this Fakhro Bhai of Election Commission is your consensus candidate,...and yet he cant do anything and wont do anything about all this highly managed and highest level of Pre-Poll rigging. That's what Dr. Tahirul Qadri is saying we need Electoral Reforms before the elections!
Its absurd for PMLN to accuse others of pre-poll rigging when it is evident that PMLN is also involved in pre-poll rigging.the laptop scheme is a good example of pre-poll rigging because funds from education department were used for purchase of laptops.The sole purpose of laptop scheme was to buy votes.Both the main parties are led by corrupt leaders.