Sindh : Opposition parties in Sindh have unanimously demanded the intervention of the country’s ‘top officials’ to annul the first phase of local body elections in four divisions of the province.
He has leveled serious allegations against the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the province for rigging, using violence to win, and using the police as an “armed wing” for “aggression” against political opponents.
According to media reports, two people were killed and several others injured in violent incidents during polling in 14 districts in the first phase of local body elections in Sindh yesterday.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Sindh United Party, Grand Democratic Alliance, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pak Sarzamin Party and Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) have reacted strongly to the PPP rigging in the elections. Accused and rejected the entire election process.
All parties have accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of “sitting idle” in the run-up to the elections in 14 districts.
Within hours of the start of polling, there was a backlash from various leaders, with former federal minister and PTI Sindh president Ali Zaidi criticizing the PPP, saying his party’s concerns were justified. He predicted that the trend of rigging would continue in the second phase of local body elections as well.
Addressing a press conference with party leaders, he said, “We know that the PPP will not allow anyone to win elections in a fair manner.”
The PPP cannot win a single seat in a fair and transparent election due to its 14 years of worst governance, corruption and incompetence. Made, people were harassed.
He said that we reject this election and if these elections are sealed by the concerned higher bodies then it will be a disaster for democracy and Sindh.
On the other hand, MQM Pakistan also questioned the role of the PPP government and accused the ruling party of using armed robbers to harass opponents, harass polling staff and keep people away from the voting process.
Wasim Akhtar, a senior leader of MQM Pakistan’s ally in the federal government and former mayor of Karachi, asked during a press conference at the party’s interim headquarters in Bahadurabad whether we should call it an election. “It’s a joke and you expect us to call it democracy, the polling staff was held hostage, the voters were under pressure to save their lives, the police were helping the armed robbers who were brought by the PPP,” he said. This circus is going on in the name of elections. We reject this process and want clean and transparent new elections.
On the other hand, SUP President Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah also expressed similar views and said that his party had already informed every institution of its concerns and concerns but no one paid any attention and all Concerns came true at the cost of people’s lives.
He said that free and fair elections in Sindh seemed impossible due to weak Election Commission and poor economy of PPP.
The GDA termed the local body elections as a “fake” exercise to bring the PPP to power and rejected the election process and appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the serious violation of the code of conduct.
Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, General Secretary, JUI-F Nadh, said that the ECP had failed in its responsibility to hold local body elections in Sindh.
He alleged that JUI-F workers were brutally tortured, harassed while the police remained silent spectators, while the Election Commission failed to stop pre-poll rigging and rigging on polling day.
JI, PSP, MWM sharply criticized the ruling party in Sindh, in their separate statements, JI, PSP and MWM rejected the first round of local body elections in Sindh. He accused the PPP of deliberately mismanaging and using force to incite violence to win elections.
Jamaat-e-Islami Sindh chief Muhammad Hussain Mohanti termed the violence and bloodshed as a reflection of the PPP’s feudal mentality.
In a statement, the PSP accused Sindh police of providing protection to PPP criminals for fraud and violence.
In a statement, the MWM called it a complete failure of the ECP, despite demands from political parties to play an effective role.
