Pre-poll rigging alleged in Swabi

SWABI: Kicking off campaign for the upcoming local government elections, the activists of the tripartite alliance on Thursday asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Election Commission to take notice of the alleged pre-poll rigging by provincial assembly speaker and senior minister in the district.
The demand came at a meeting of the coalition partners, which was attended by tripartite alliance district president Shehryar Khan, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl district chief Attaul Haq Darvesh, Pakistan People’s Party district president Javed Iqbal Inqilabi and office-bearers of four tehsils and the district.
They alleged that KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Senior Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and other elected public representatives were involved in influencing the upcoming LG polls, which they said, was against the code of conduct and democratic norms.
The local activists said the speaker, senior minister and other public representatives from Swabi could gain the sympathies of the voters by announcing development projects and making appointments in government departments.
“If the practice was not stopped it would result in the defeat of our candidates,” said one of the activists.“The meddling of the senior minister and other elected representatives of the ruling coalition should be stopped by the election commission,” Shehryar demanded.
Briefing media, PPP Javed Inqilabi said that they had constituted various committees to finalise the names of the candidates. The tehsil committee of each party would submit the applications within two days and then the district leaders would decide the fate of the contesting candidates.
He said they would field joint candidates at each union council.Syed Kosar Naqvi adds from Abbottabad: The three-party alliance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Thursday demanded holding of the local government elections on party basis and under the supervision of judiciary.
The demand was made by Mian Iftikhar Hussain, president of the three-party alliance and secretary general of Awami National Party (ANP) after a meeting at the residence of Pir Alam Zeb Shah here.
Mian Iftikhar alleged that the KP government planned to rig the local government elections but the alliance would never allow it to do so.“The KP government is trying to get the outcome of its own choice,” he said and added that declaration of results of elections after 10 days is ample proof of pre-planned rigging of the elections.
He said that there is lot of confusion about the delimitations. “We have also challenged it in the Peshawar High Court,” he added.Mian Iftikhar said that three-party alliance, JUI-F, PPP and ANP, would contest LG polls jointly against the PTI-led government at all costs. PPP General Secretary Humayun Khan and JUI-F General Secretary Shujaul Mulk were also present on the occasion.