PPP asks CEC to take action against PMLN on ‘intimidatory tactics’

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja complaining on the Intimidatory tactics of PMLN.

In a letter to the CEC, In-charge Central Election Cell of PPP Parliamentarians Senator Taj Haider stated that the PPP has been repeatedly requesting to direct Punjab administration to take action under the law on attack on our election office by PMLN candidate in NA-127, as well as a police raid on our call center in the same constituency, alarming reports of PMLN and police collusion are coming in from other parts.

Taj Haider also attached the a report from Shangla (Malakand Division), published in print media, according to which PMLN workers had tried to snatch bags of postal ballot from the post office and the staff had to lock the post office in order to save the postal ballots and also themselves.

He stated that the question naturally arises as to what the police and the administration were doing when an office of the federal government was being attacked with impunity.

Taj Haider stated that the inaction of administration (this time that of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) on taking law in their own hands by PMLN goons further enforces a pattern where the workers of this party are encouraged to go to any limits in order to intimidate the opposition candidates, workers and voters.

On the sensitive issue of postal ballot, it may recall that our delegation had given our suggestion to you which if implemented would have brought a high degree of transparency. “We had also ventured to write a letter to you in this regard. Attempt on snatching the postal ballot bags clearly brings out a PMLN plan to rig the elections through manipulating postal ballots,” he stated in a letter.

Taj Haider stated that one does not know as yet that on how many other post offices such attempts have succeeded or the staff have themselves volunteered to hand over the postal ballot bags to PMLN.

Haider stated that in the remaining short time we earnestly request to take deterrent action against law breakers. “Irrespective of the damage that has already been done to fair elections in the country it is desirable that action should be taken to halt such criminal activities,” he stated.