KHAIRPUR, May 4: People's Party Parliamentarians MPA Qaim Ali Shah has said that Election Commission seems to be unable to fulfil its constitutional obligations hence they are sure that forthcoming by-elections will be rigged.

He was talking to journalists at Jilani House here on Tuesday after presiding over a party meeting which was attended by Manzoor Wassan, Naeem Kharal, Sajid Bambhan, Nawab Wassan and others.

Mr Shah said that PPP candidate for PA-31 Shoukat Rajpar had informed the party leadership about his apprehension that police and government officials would be used by his rival candidate during vote casting.

He said that PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto had approved the name of Sher Mohammad Phulpoto as the Awam Dost Panel candidate for the post of district naib nazim.

WHEAT: District Nazim Nafisa Shah has expressed dissatisfaction over performance of the food department in the district during wheat procurement. Talking to a delegation of farmers at her office here on Tuesday, she said that wheat movement had been banned under section 144, CrPC, to facilitate the food officials in wheat procurement but reports suggested that the target would not be achieved.

She said that growers were selling wheat to traders but were not ready to sell it at the food department's procurement centres and added that she had informed the Sindh food secretary about the situation.

Meanwhile, food secretary Mir Mohammad Parhiar visited different procurement centres in the district on Monday. The officials of the department told him that they had constituted mobile teams for achieving the target while 22,000 tonnes of wheat had been purchased till date.