PPP submits ‘rigging proof’ to EC

Published January 10, 2008

LAHORE, Jan 9: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab President Shah Mahmood Qureshi submitted to the provincial election commission on Wednesday the evidence of, what he claimed, coercive pre-poll rigging methods being adopted by the Pakistan Muslim League-Q through nazims, police and administration.

Punjab Election Commissioner Ayaz Beg received the documents and gave hearing to Mr Qureshi and members of the party’s provincial executive body who flanked him.

He promised to contact the authorities for a probe and action but hastened to add that a majority of the complaints submitted to him so far were `general’ and without any evidence. Around 80 per cent complainants, he said, had also not appear before the commission to pursue their cases.

The chief election commissioner said he had met with the chief secretary, the inspector general and all district returning officers to ask them to ensure fairness in the polls.

He said that information regarding the removal of election hoardings of certain candidates by the Rahim Yar Khan district nazim had prompted him to order the district returning officer to take action into the complaints.

Mr Qureshi and others asked Mr Beg to take suo motu actions at least in cases of pre-poll rigging reported by the media.

Talking to reporters, Mr Qureshi said the party had submitted complaints with full evidence, hoping that the election commission would take action (against those involved) to come up to its claim of ensuring free and fair elections.

“A lack of action will harm the country and its democratic institutions, and we will not tolerate rigging,” he said.

The election commissioner told PPP delegates the electoral rolls had been displayed on the commission’s website, and the polling schemes duly notified.

All district returning officers were given 35 copies of polling schemes, he said, assuring Mr Qureshi that they would not be changed at the eleventh hour.

Mr Qureshi’s concern was that the polling schemes would be changed just before the polling to put the opposition parties at a disadvantage.

He said as the PML-Q had committed pre-poll rigging with full force, the PPP had contacted the election commission for a remedy because it was the constitutional and legal authority for the purpose.

He submitted a copy of the complaints compiled by the PPP’s monitoring cell and said it had already been handed over to the chief election commissioner.

Mr Qureshi also submitted the copy of a first information report (FIR) as a sample, claiming that PPP workers were being implicated in cases all over the province. He asked Mr Beg to seek the record of cases registered against the workers from the inspector general because the police were not giving it to the party.

“Thousands of our workers have been implicated in cases for damaging public or private property in areas where riots (after Dec 27) did not erupt at all. Police are harassing them and raiding their residences. According to my information, they will be picked up a week before the election so that no one is left to act as polling agent or motivate voters,” he alleged.

Mr Qureshi said public funds were being grossly misused on the PML-Q election campaign. Cheques signed by PML-Q Punjab President Pervaiz Elahi after the formulation of the caretaker government are being issued to selected people under the provincial government’s Rozgar Scheme, he claimed.

He also pointed out foul play in postal ballots of government officials. He alleged the Multan district education officer had written a letter to all teachers to submit their ballots and copies of national identity cards to his office by Jan 24 or face action.

Mr Qureshi alleged that all nazims had arranged and attended the public meeting of Mr Elahi in Multan on Tuesday. The entire Multan administration and police too were present in the meeting to seek votes for the PML-Q. This was sheer violence of the election commission’s code of conduct, he alleged.

A day earlier, the Rahim Yar Khan district nazim not only hosted Mr Elahi’s public meeting but also delivered a speech there, seeking votes for the PML-Q, he said. “Everything has been published in newspapers and you must take action,” he asked the election commissioner.

Mr Qureshi alleged that the caretaker set-up was an extension of the previous PML-Q government. The administration still followed the orders of Mr Elahi which was a joke with the people.

He said unlike the directions by the election commission, nazims had launched development schemes. They were inaugurating the completed schemes along with PML-Q candidates. “I have talked to the Multan district coordination officer on this point but he says he is helpless and you better approach the election commission for action,” he said.

Mr Qureshi said postal ballots of prisoners were being grabbed and the administrative machinery was not neutral.

He objected to the advertisement campaign by the PML-Q that he alleged was aimed at creating bias and the law and order situation in the country. Such things could generate tension and communal clashes.

PPP General Secretary Ghulam Abbas said in his home constituency a neutral deputy superintendent of police had been sent on forced leave. He had filed a related complaint before the election commission 15 days ago but no reply had been sent as yet.

He alleged PML-Q activists used to resort to firing to intimidate him and his supporters. Even his wife had been given threats on telephone.

PPP Punjab election monitoring cell chief Munawwar Anjum said out of 1,027 complaints, action had been taken by the election commission on only 47. The cell sent complaints to the commission on its given e-mail address every day but there had been no response.

PPP candidate to NA-112 Col Sikandar (retired) alleged PML-Q candidate Shujat Husain had arranged 400 motorcycles for policemen who were frequenting his election offices for intimidation.

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