Parties blame rivals for attacks, rigging

Opposition parties claim security forces were just for ‘token presence’.

KARACHI:

For the opposition parties in Sindh, the presence of the army, Rangers and the police at the polling stations was merely a “face-saving” act.

The security forces have not played their role in making the by-elections neutral, the lawmakers felt. “The workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have attacked our party activists in Korangi while the police and Rangers played their role as silent spectators,” claimed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Syed Hafeezuddin, adding that PTI polling agents were harassed in NA-254 Korangi. In PS-103 North Nazimabad, PTI’s agents were kidnapped by opponent groups, he said. “It is premature to comment on the election results but our opponents have used all resources to rig.”

Meanwhile, MQM Rabita Committee member Wasay Jalil denied they were involved in the attack on PTI activists in Korangi. “The PTI just wants to seek the attention of the media,” he said. “Whenever parties are losing, they pull such publicity stunts to divert the media’s attention towards them.”

Kashif Nizamani of Pakistan Muslim league-Functional (PML-F) had similar complaints as the PTI. “The state machinery was used particularly in Sanghar district and those presiding officers, who belonged to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), were posted,” he claimed.

“After killing a worker of our party, who was a relative of our MNA candidate, they are now terming it a road accident,” he claimed. “But we will lodge a case against the local PPP leadership, who deliberately crushed our people under their vehicles.” In Shikarpur, Thatta and even in Mirpurkhas, the PPP has utilised all available sources.

The Shirazis of Thatta have also expressed their dismay over the security arrangement made by the provincial government, as well as, the election commission. “We will prove how our agents have been kidnapped in the presence of police and Rangers,” PML-Nawaz’s Syed Shah Hussain Shah Shirazi. Meanwhile, PPP leader and Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has termed the by-elections free, fair and transparent. He lauded the Sindh government’s decision to make foolproof security arrangement inside and outside the polling station.

MQM’s Farooq Sattar filed a complaint to the Sindh High Court Election Cell that the attitude of the army soldiers present at polling stations in Karachi was very harsh. This was the only complaint the cell received on Thursday. Sattar said that those voters, whose CNICs had expired, were returned from outside even though the purpose of checking CNICs is merely to match the voters’ photo with his name on the electoral list. While disposing of the complaint, the cell directed the relevant district returning officers to address his grievances.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.