Bilawal terms LG by-poll victory in Sindh public trust in PPP as JI alleges rigging

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his gratitude and appreciation for his party’s resounding success in the recent local government by-elections across Sindh, including Karachi.

He celebrated this victory as a testament to the public’s trust and unwavering support for the PPP, as well as the dedication and hard work of committed party workers. In a statement issued by the Media Cell Bilawal House on Friday, the PPP chairman extended the heartiest congratulations to all successful PPP candidates, commending the tireless efforts of party workers who transformed the campaign into a decisive triumph.

"Once again, the arrow has made its mark across Sindh, including Karachi, where the followers of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto have emerged victorious," he noted. He emphasized that these results clearly reflect the people’s preference for inclusive public service over politics of division and discord.

Addressing the newly elected representatives, Bilawal expressed confidence in their dedication to uphold public trust. "This victory brings with it great responsibilities and challenges," he stated. "You will face a landscape of limited resources and numerous issues, but your perseverance and commitment to the party’s vision will guide the way forward."

Sindh Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon has congratulated the successful candidates of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the recent local government by-elections in the province.

"I congratulate all the PPP candidates who succeeded in the local bodies by-elections. The victory of the Pakistan Peoples Party candidates is proof that the people of Sindh have faith in the leadership and vision of the Pakistan Peoples Party," he said in a statement issued on Friday.

JI’s protest

Accusing the Pakistan Peoples Party of using the Sindh government machinery to rig Thursday’s local government by-elections in Karachi, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday staged a protest on Sharea Faisal.

A large number of protesters turned up on Sharea Faisal. The JI claimed that the police attempted to disperse the protesters but failed owing to their large number. Karachi JI Emir Monem Zafar addressed the demonstration following a press conference at the Karachi JI Headquarter Idara Noor-e-Haq.

He said the PPP had proved once again that it believed in fascism, mandate theft, hooliganism, and using undemocratic and unfair means by changing the results of the by-elections. Once again, the form 11, 12 and 13 were tempered by corrupt officials at the behest of the PPP to bring them an undue victory that they never had, said the JI leader.

He said continuous tampering with elections results had created a distrust among the people in the electoral system. He reminded the PPP leaders that their seniors had always sided with dictators. He recalled that PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto used to call military dictator Ayub Khan as daddy and supported him against Fatima Jinnah, the mother of the nation.

Zafar said Bhutto also founded the custom of rejecting the just mandate of others. Similarly, the PPP congratulated and welcomed dictator Pervez Musharraf when he toppled then government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he said.

Speaking of the ‘rigging’ in Karachi by-polls, he also held the Election Commission of Pakistan equally responsible and hands in gloves with the PPP. He highlighted that the UC 7 of Model Town was won by the JI in the last elections with 4,400 votes and the PPP had bagged 8th position with only 650 votes. Similarly, he said, in the last general elections, the JI had received over 24,000 votes from the constituency that encompassed the UC against 1,836 votes by the PPP.

He maintained that in the by-polls, the results of the UC were put on hold for eight hours and later the PPP’s votes were increased from 1,086 to 4,362, and the JI's results were changed from over 3,000 to 2,415.

The JI leader held the PPP, the ECP and the law enforcement agencies responsible for changing the results. Zafar also alleged rigging in UC-7 in Korangi. He said that in the last local government polls, the JI's candidate bagged 1,150 votes from the Ward 1 against 77 votes by the PPP candidate. On November 14, the PPP received 457 votes from the area as per form 11, whereas after tampering with the record, the PPP was declared successful with 1,100 votes.