NA-250 Re-Polling: Sindh govt denies writing letter to ECP

“We want to hold re-elections on all 43 polling stations on the scheduled date,” says Memon.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has denied any part in writing a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan ‘excusing’ itself from holding re-elections at some polling stations of NA-250, scheduled for May 19.

In the letter written to the ECP late night on Wednesday, the provincial government allegedly stated that it could not facilitate the commission to hold the election given the worsening state of law and order and tense situation in the constituency.

However, Sharfuddin Memon, the special assistant to the Sindh chief minister on home affairs, said the home department had not written the letter to the ECP, adding that it was instead “managed” by some people.



When asked to elaborate, Memon said that the letter “was managed by those who claim to have a heavy mandate in Karachi”.

He went on to accuse the same party of rigging and said that those who were arrested from polling stations by the Rangers were workers of that party.

Following allegations of widespread rigging and delays during elections in NA-250 on May 11, the ECP announced re-polling for 43 stations of the constituency.

“We want to hold re-elections on all 43 polling stations on the scheduled date,” Memon said.

The special assistant to the CM said the government would provide security and assure that rigging does not take place in the re-polling at NA-250 given that “there is no interference from the governor house”.

Meanwhile, press secretary to the Sindh chief minister, Tariq Imam, told The Express Tribune that he was unaware of any letter written to the ECP. “I have neither seen the letter nor given any briefing on it.”



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Even though the caretaker government denied writing the letter to ECP, various political parties earlier in the day severely criticised the move.

“The caretaker government’s letter, expressing its inability to hold the re-polls, might be an indication for the Chief Election Commissioner to call on the army for this purpose,” said Jamaat-e-Islami Sindh chief Dr Merajul Siddiqui. “Our protest drive that has reached its fifth day is not for the sake of re-polling at one or two constituencies. The whole of Karachi was held hostage by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and evidence of extensive rigging are available for each and every constituency.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate for NA-256 Zubair Khan said that if the Sindh government is not able to conduct elections on NA-250, how did they conduct elections in the whole city. “It means that the elections which were conducted in the city were bogus. Only one party was handed over the city for rigging and that party did what it wanted,” he said.

However, MQM coordination committee member Wasim Aftab dismissed the accusations, saying political and religious parties that suffered a crushing defeat in the polls were accusing the MQM of rigging under a calculated move.

Aftab told The Express Tribune that the MQM had exercised its democratic right by staging a peaceful sit-in and would continue till the party’s demand of conducting elections on all polling stations of NA-250 was accepted.

The party’s coordination committee, however, called off the protest sit-in past midnight on Thursday, following orders received from MQM chief Altaf Hussain.

Meanwhile, Hussain appealed to the people of the country, specially the people of Sind to observe “A day of Thanks” today (Friday) to celebrate the historical victory of Haq Parast candidates in the general elections. In the statement, he also said the MQM was not allowed to freely participate in elections by use of force, and hundreds of its workers were targeted in blasts.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2013.