Vote fraud: Tribunal disqualifies PPP MPA Altaf Unnar, orders re-polling in PS-35

The MPA was found guilty of understating his assets.

SUKKUR/ KARACHI: The Sukkur election tribunal disqualified Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Altaf Unnar on Wednesday and ordered a re-poll in PS-35 Baqrani, Larkana. 

PS-35 candidate Suhail Anwar Sial, who also belongs to the PPP, had filed a petition in the Sukkur election tribunal stating that, besides indulging in large-scale rigging, Altaf had intentionally concealed facts about his property and has therefore violated Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.

Advocate Shabbir Shar, who represented Sial, told The Express Tribune that after hearing the petition, the tribunal disqualified Altaf and ordered re-polling in PS-35.

He further said that Altaf, besides rigging 25 polling stations, had concealed facts about his assets, including a bungalow in Karachi’s Defense Housing Authority as well as a bungalow and rice mill in Larkana. Unnar had also stated that he owns 62 acres of land, while he actually owns 309 acres.

The fallout

Altaf has always been a very influential politician in his constituency and had previously contested elections against the PPP candidates. Altaf was a member of the Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid but joined the PPP a few months ahead of the 2013 general elections.

PPP, overlooking Sial, gave the party ticket to Unnar. Sial therefore announced his decision to contest the election as an independent candidate and was allotted the drum as an election symbol.

Unnar’s nephew and son-in-law Ghulam Umer Unnar had filed nomination papers at NA-204 against PPP’s Ayaz Soomro and his son Adil Unnar had filed nomination papers at NA-25 against PPP’s Nazir Bughio.

PPP leaders asked Altaf to pressurise his son and nephew into withdrawing their candidacies against the PPP candidates but he refused to do so. Resultantly, PPP withdrew its support of Altaf, giving it back to Sial, who lost despite the party’s backing.

By-election

The provincial election commissioner SM Tariq Qadri said that the case would now be referred to the election commission, who will fix a date for the by-election. “The by-election is held within 60 days of the issuance of a disqualification notification,” he said, adding that the provincial election commission had not yet received the tribunal decision, which will be referred to Islamabad for further processing.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2014.