ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday once again rejected the second phase of local government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions, demanding the Election Commission to declare the elections null and void and announce fresh polls immediately Addressing a press conference here, Secretary General PTI Asad Umar called the polls as the “mostrigged” and said that the members of the electoral body should resign over their alleged failure to hold free and fair LG elections in Sindh. He accused the PPP of stealing the public mandate in the local bodies polls of Karachi by the “use of force, coercion and intimidation.” “PTI would not accept this (rigging) in any way.” Asad – who was flanked by other party leaders and lawmakers including Amir Dogar and Riaz Fatyana – said that alleged rigging started on the morning of the election day as a video posted on social media showed election staff stamping ballot papers. He added that even balloting material was also sent to some polling stations with delay. He went on to say that PTI leader Amjad Afridi had clearly mentioned in the video how 1,000 votes were brought to the polling station. However, he said that Afridi was arrested and tortured rather than action should have been taken against those who rigged the polls. The PTI secretary general further claimed that the election staff was pressurized but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seemed helpless and miserably failed to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections. He further said that those protesting against the rigging were arrested and FIRs were lodged against the PTI members including Saeed Afridi, Bilal Ghaffar and Adeel Ahmed. He said the second phase of LG polls in the province were delayed several times as Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the ruling coalition, alleged wanted to steal the mandate. He further said that a dangerous game was played in Karachi, as every effort was being made to push the metropolitan against the wall. Asad stated that largely populated Karachi was deprived of water, and deplored that the most tax-paying city of the country was getting nothing in return. He also said that this has been done by proper planning to deprive the port city of its basic rights. He said that despite the passage of 48 hours, the results were not released, adding that the district returning officers (DROs) said that the government was pressuring them. He, referring to PPP, said that those who ruled the province for six times did not give anything to Karachi, so how people of the metropolitan could vote for the ruling party in Sindh.
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