Only PPP ready for polling, opposition fears violence
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Loading... - Indira Saini
- 24 Jun 2022
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Although not all of them want postponement of the first phase, during which polling is to be held in Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions, a few of them directly approached the Election Commission of Pakistan for the postponement on almost the same reasons.
Former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Sindh chapter president Ali Zaidi made the first move expressing his party’s fear that the elections could be “violent and deadly”. He asked the people of Sindh to remain peaceful. In his statement, he also questioned the role of “those who nowadays prefer to remain neutral”.
“We fear that the first phase of local body elections may be a violent and deadly exercise,” said Mr Zaidi. “The PPP is using illegal tactics to intimidate opposition candidates. The opposition candidates are being abducted and fake FIRs are being registered against them. Their proponents and supporters are being tortured. Should the security of Pakistanis not have been discussed in the national security meeting?”
Urging the law enforcement agencies to play their part, he said: “Neutrality is never an option at the cost of human life.”
Mr Zaidi questioned: “Isn’t it the responsibility of the institutions to protect the rights of citizens, and their lives and property?”
Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) – an umbrella organisation of five political parties – which is a key player in Sindh electoral politics, also raised question on the transparency of the process and accused the administration of “staging fake show to put PPP in power in provincial local government system”.
“If this whole exercise being carried out to bring PPP in power through this fake [LB elections] exercise, there should be no need to spend billions of rupees out of public money in the name of elections,” said GDA information secretary Sardar Abdul Rahim in a statement. He referred to multiple incidents of torture, abductions and attacks on rallies of political parties in different parts of Sindh to keep the parties contesting against the PPP away from the process. Read More…
