MMA stages rally in Peshawar against alleged rigging in election

PESHAWAR: The activists of different component parties of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Friday staged a protest, asking the Chief Election Commissioner to quit forthwith after what they alleged 'the fraud and massively rigged' election.

The protest procession was started from the district office of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) at Nishtarabad. Led by the district president of the MMA Maulana Khairul Bashar, Haji Ghulam Ali, Hafiz Hashmat Khan and others, the protestors marched on the main GT Road.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the election and chanting slogans, the protestors reached the Hashtnagri Chowk, where the procession turned into a public gathering.

Addressing the participants, the speakers declared that they would continue their protest campaign until the cancellation of the elections and arrangement of free and fair polls afresh. The speakers said that failure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates in recount everywhere was a clear proof of the rigging in the balloting.

They said that it was 'selection' in the name of election and the results have been rejected by all the political forces except for the PTI. The speakers criticised the PTI leadership, saying those accused by the PTI chairman as looters and dacoits in the past were now being invited for the formation of a 'fake' government.

They alleged that independent candidates were being given lucrative offers for supporting the PTI. The speakers said that the series of protests would be extended to the union council level.

The speakers criticized the Election Commission for what they called its failure to hold a free and fair election. They said the commission chief should confess to its failure and quit. They announced that the MMA central leadership was working out future line of action and they would soon hold another big demonstration in the provincial metropolis.