HYDERABAD, July 29: Sindh Tehrik-i-Insaf president Mohammad Zubair Khan has termed the local body elections a fraud with the people of the country and said ministers and advisers are openly canvassing for their candidates.

He said local bodies had been suspended on the pretext that nazims could use their influence in the election but ministers had been given a free hand to interfere in the election.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday, he alleged that the chief minister was using government resources for the election campaign of his party. Dr Sarmad Shaikh and Dr Qamar were present on a occasion.

He said the prime minister had launched the election campaign in Hyderabad from a political platform though the elections were being held on the non-party basis.

He said the non-party elections were being contested by the ruling party on the party basis.

Under the circumstances, Mr Khan said, it would be a wishful thinking to believe that the elections would be held in a free, fair, impartial and transparent manner.

He warned that pre-and-post poll rigging could lead to a massive protest movement.

He said the code of conduct announced by the Pakistan Election Commission was being openly violated but the commission appeared to be helpless.

He said the dilemma of the opposition parties was that they had to take part in the election and could not leave the field open for the ruling party.

He said this was the reason that the PTI had decided to field its own candidates and make adjustments with other parties.

Mr Khan expressed concern over the prevailing situation and said Gen Pervez Musharraf had launched an operation against seminaries and mosques and was engaged in character assassination of Ulema.

He said Musharraf in his previous speech had said he was influenced by Kamal Atta Turk. For that reason, Mr Khan said, the president was trying to convert Pakistan into another Turkey or Egypt.

He said the PTI had supported the seven point agenda of President Musharraf but as it was just a hoax, Imran Khan regretted his support publicly.

He said Imran Khan was on record having said he would never ever support a general even if he comes in the shape of an angel. He said had Imran Khan been interested in power, he would have been installed as the prime minister.

He said the masses had totally lost faith in parties and that was the reason the voting ratio had come down from 50 to 60 per cent to only 25 per cent.

He said only five per cent people would come out to vote if candidates for national and provincial assemblies did not spend millions of rupees to bring the people to polling stations.

He said the PTI was still at the stage of reorganization and party chief Imran Khan would visit Hyderabad on August 5.

HSC exam result: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education on Wednesday announced results of the HSC part-I and II of the commerce group 2005.

According to the result gazette of the HSC part-II, among the boy students Jehanzeb, son of Mohammad Riaz Shaikh, seat No.81083 and Ghulam Murtaza, son of Peer Ghulam Mohiuddin Sarhandi, seat No.81279 of the Government S.S. Commerce Collage, secured the first and second position by obtaining 808 and 792 marks, respectively.

The third position was shared by Sufyan Ahmed, son of Anwar Ahmed Shaikh, seat No.81537 of the Government Ghazali College Latifabad-11 and Qasim Hafeez, son of Hafeezullah Arain, of the S.I. Government College Hala by obtaining 770 marks each.

Among the girl students, Sara, daughter of Sirajuddin Veerani, seat No.81449 of the Government Girls College Hyderabad, secured the first position by obtaining 784 marks while Shahida, daughter of Qadir Bux Lashari, seat No.81441 of the Government S.S. Arts College Hyderabad and Maniba, daughter of Iqbaruddin Shaikh, seat No.81446 of the Government Girls College Hyderabad, secured the second and third position by obtaining 774 and 770 marks, respectively.

A total number of 964 candidates including 163 girl candidates appeared in the examination, of which 851 including 141 girl candidates passed the examination. The result of 24 students two of them girls have been withheld by the board for various reasons.

The pass ratio of successful candidates on the whole is 90.53 per cent.

PART-I: A total number of 1,133 candidates appeared in the examination, of which 690 have been declared pass in all papers while the result of 107 students has been withheld by the board for one or the other reason.