SUKKUR: Workers of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl staged a demonstration on Military Road here on Saturday in protest against widespread ‘rigging’ in election.

JUI-F Sindh general secretary Maulana Rashid Mahmood Soomro and other party leaders said while addressing the protesters that it was not an election, it was rather a selection, hence the party would not accept the results.

They said that the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced arbitrary results in all constituencies, which was tantamount to betrayal of people’s trust and disrespect to their vote.

They said that presiding officers did not issue Form-45 and results were deliberately delayed to make ‘favorable’ candidates successful.

They said that JUI-F’s mandate had been stolen as their polling agents were pushed out of polling stations when they raised objections to rigging. “Our candidate for PS-22 in Sukkur has been deliberately defeated by massive rigging,” they said.

“We reject this highly rigged election and demand higher authorities take immediate notice of the election fraud and announce votes’ recount in all constituencies, including PS-22 so that mounting frustration among public can be allayed,” they said.

They warned that they would expand their protest if the government did not accept their demands.

Other party leaders, Nasir Mahmood Soomro, Maulana Muhammad Saleh Indhar, Mufti Saud Afzal Halejvi, losing party candidate Mir Mubeen Khan Bullo, Ameer Bakhsh aka Mir Mahar and Qari Liaquat Mughal also spoke to the protesters.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2024

Must Read

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

The spectacle of the verbal spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was stark evidence of a tectonic shift in longstanding US foreign policy on Ukraine, Russia, Europe and Nato.

Opinion

Editorial

After the review
Updated 16 Mar, 2025

After the review

Should prepare economy for durable growth by attracting foreign private investments to boost productivity and exports.
Embracing crypto
16 Mar, 2025

Embracing crypto

IT seems a little prod was all it took for Pakistan to finally ‘embrace the future’. The Pakistan Crypto Council...
Fault lines
16 Mar, 2025

Fault lines

IT was a distressing spectacle, though a sadly predictable one. As the National Assembly took up for discussion the...
Revised solar policy
Updated 15 Mar, 2025

Revised solar policy

Criticism policy revisions misplaced as these will increase payback periods for consumers with oversized solar systems.
Toxic prejudice
15 Mar, 2025

Toxic prejudice

WITH far-right movements on the march across the world, it is no surprise that anti-Muslim bias is witnessing high...
Children in jails
15 Mar, 2025

Children in jails

PAKISTAN’S children in prison have often been treated like adult criminals. The Sindh government’s programme to...