Rigging allegations: JUI-F activists take to the streets
Ask government, Election Commission of Pakistan to accept failure.
The protest was led by JUI-F senator and NA-3 candidate Haji Ghulam Ali. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
Sticking to the party’s call for protests across the province, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) activists on Friday took to the streets over the ‘worst-rigged’ elections in history.
In the provincial capital, over 200 protesters gathered at Firdous Chowk from where they followed the Grand Trunk (GT) Road up to the eastern tip of Khyber Road in front of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly. The demonstrators were prevented from proceeding to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) provincial office and stopped at a security check post.
The protest was led by JUI-F senator and NA-3 candidate Haji Ghulam Ali, while other leaders also addressed the demonstrators at Rehman Baba Square.
Ali said the party would continue protests until poll results were changed. He alleged the election outcome had been subject to rigging and called on the government and ECP to accept failure in this regard.
Haji Jalil Jan and other speakers also addressed the crowd and demanded re-elections in Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi and certain tribal areas. They alleged the poll results were changed systematically to benefit a particular party and government officials also filled ballot boxes in favour of that party.
The leaders argued protests against the results were being treated favourably in Karachi and Lahore, while JUI-F demonstrators were being criticised in K-P.
In the run-up to the elections, the JUI-F had been confident about securing a majority in the province and had plans in place to install Fazlur Rehman’s younger brother Luftur Rehman as chief minister.
The party had also awarded provincial and National Assembly tickets to a large number of electable candidates. However, a majority of them failed to succeed and the JUI-F only managed to secure 13 seats in the K-P Assembly as compared to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 35.
The poll results set JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the warpath as he refused to accept the PTI’s mandate in K-P. Fazl then tried to bypass the PTI by trying to form a coalition government with the Qaumi Watan Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). These plans were thwarted when the PML-N refused to deny PTI its mandate.
Having failed to grab power, the maulana – who earlier declared the provincial mandate “unacceptable” – opted for protests.
The PTI, meanwhile, has not responded to the allegations and has contained itself from attacking Fazl. However, in the days to come, the party is likely to take on the JUI-F. These developments indicate both parties are likely to have a very difficult relationship in the K-P Assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.
Sticking to the party’s call for protests across the province, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) activists on Friday took to the streets over the ‘worst-rigged’ elections in history.
In the provincial capital, over 200 protesters gathered at Firdous Chowk from where they followed the Grand Trunk (GT) Road up to the eastern tip of Khyber Road in front of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly. The demonstrators were prevented from proceeding to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) provincial office and stopped at a security check post.
The protest was led by JUI-F senator and NA-3 candidate Haji Ghulam Ali, while other leaders also addressed the demonstrators at Rehman Baba Square.
Ali said the party would continue protests until poll results were changed. He alleged the election outcome had been subject to rigging and called on the government and ECP to accept failure in this regard.
Haji Jalil Jan and other speakers also addressed the crowd and demanded re-elections in Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi and certain tribal areas. They alleged the poll results were changed systematically to benefit a particular party and government officials also filled ballot boxes in favour of that party.
The leaders argued protests against the results were being treated favourably in Karachi and Lahore, while JUI-F demonstrators were being criticised in K-P.
In the run-up to the elections, the JUI-F had been confident about securing a majority in the province and had plans in place to install Fazlur Rehman’s younger brother Luftur Rehman as chief minister.
The party had also awarded provincial and National Assembly tickets to a large number of electable candidates. However, a majority of them failed to succeed and the JUI-F only managed to secure 13 seats in the K-P Assembly as compared to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 35.
The poll results set JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the warpath as he refused to accept the PTI’s mandate in K-P. Fazl then tried to bypass the PTI by trying to form a coalition government with the Qaumi Watan Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). These plans were thwarted when the PML-N refused to deny PTI its mandate.
Having failed to grab power, the maulana – who earlier declared the provincial mandate “unacceptable” – opted for protests.
The PTI, meanwhile, has not responded to the allegations and has contained itself from attacking Fazl. However, in the days to come, the party is likely to take on the JUI-F. These developments indicate both parties are likely to have a very difficult relationship in the K-P Assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2013.