LAHORE, Feb 17: Claiming to have all information about an alleged rigging scheme by the government in favour of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has warned of a sharp reaction to electoral malpractice.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, the PML-Nawaz (PML-N) patron said rigging without connivance of the bureaucracy and election staff was impossible and warned them that their connivance amounted to subversion of the constitution.

“Those who will conspire to violate sanctity of ballot box will never be let off.”

He said after the “confession” of Attorney-General Malik Qayyum that the polls would be massively rigged, there was no need to provide any other evidence.

He, however, appealed to voters to come out of their homes without any fear and cast their ballot to defeat the allies of the dictator, a reference to the PML-Q.

Asked if his party would seek cooperation of the All Parties Democratic Movement in its post-poll protest against rigging, Mr Sharif said the nation could not get rid of the menace of dictatorship without taking along all democratic forces.

He said President Pervez Musharraf’s policies were responsible for the rising tide of extremism and terrorism in the country.

He said US support for Musharraf had neither benefited Washington nor Islamabad.

He said it was too late to talk of seat adjustment with the Pakistan People’s Party.

About the construction of Kalabagh Dam, he said any water reservoirs would be built after developing national consensus on it.

About the release of Dr A.Q Khan, he said they wanted elimination of all types of injustice and regretted that India honoured its nuclear scientist by electing him as the head of the state while here the government incarcerated Mr Khan.

He parried a question about what would be the party’s policy about the much-maligned National Reconciliation Ordinance if it were voted to power.

Earlier, the PML-N leader read out a written statement promising to restore the judiciary to eliminate tyranny, injustice, inequality, and corruption from society.