Rigging alleged in Shikarpur
SHIKARPUR, Feb 19: The Pakistan People’s Party candidates Aftab Shaban Mirani (NA-202 Shikarpur-I) and Agha Arsalan Khan (PS-12 Khanpur) on Tuesday accused their rivals of committing large-scale rigging to win seats and said they would not accept the results.
According to unofficial results, Aftab Shaban Mirani received 47,675 votes as against 53,752 of his rival, the National People’s Party candidate Dr Mohammad Ibrahim Jatoi and Arsalan Khan got 16,800 as against Mir Abid Hussain Jatoi’s 42,316.
The PPP leaders alleged that their rivals engineered the results by having bogus votes cast with the help of polling staff at polling station No.158 and a number of other polling stations in Kot Shahu area.
He accused the returning officer and the presiding officers of supporting NPP candidates, who were involved in stealing ballot papers and using them to cast bogus votes.
He said that the DRO and RO concerned did not entertain their complaints about rigging. They would present proofs including CDs showing bogus ballot papers when the inquiry was conducted into rigging, they said.
Giving evidence in support of his allegations Mr Mirani told journalists that when the bags of bogus votes brought from polling stations No158, 159 and 187 were opened and counted there was not a single vote in his favour and all the ballot papers carried stamps on election symbols of his rivals.
He alleged that results had been changed late into the night and announced late on Tuesday evening.
The PPP candidates demanded that Election Commission should order re-election in their constituencies and disqualify candidates who were involved in rigging, stealing ballot papers and casting bogus votes.
Source: Dawn
Date:2/20/2008
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