ISLAMABAD: Accusing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of stealing the mandate of people, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar on Thursday demanded that the recently held local government elections in Karachi be declared null and void.
Speaking at a presser, he also demanded the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja as well as the four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to step down for their failure to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections in the port city.
“We completely reject the LG polls in Karachi as there was massive rigging and people’s mandate was stolen by the PPP which is a negligence of the ECP,” he declared.
He warned the people at the helm of affairs not to pretend that there are terror threats to intimidate people as Karachiites would stand up for their rights.
He accused the PPP of stamping 1,000 ballot papers ahead of LG polls, besides registering cases against PTI Sindh President Ali Haider Zaidi and 17 other party workers under terrorism and other charges after they protested against poll rigging.
He said that it took hours for the ECP to announce union council results, which shows the elections were rigged with the help of government administration as well as the ECP as it turned a blind eye to the delay of the election results.
“The polling staff were threatened to get ready for dire consequences in case of non-cooperation [with PPP candidates], as returning officers (ROs) kept begging us that they have little kids and they could not do anything about the polling results’ delay,” he added.
Despite all this which took place right under the nose of the ECP, he added, the top electoral body acted as a silent spectator, adding “when the people protested the usurpation of their mandate, the police arrested PTI workers.”
“We reject this election in Karachi and demand that it be declared null and void,” he reiterated.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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