MPA moves PHC for fresh LG elections

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member Provincial Assembly Zahid Durrani, who is also adviser to the chief minister, here Monday sought the intervention of Peshawar High Court to cancel the May 30 local government elections and issue directive for holding fresh elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The PTI lawmaker filed an eight-page petition in the high court through his lawyer Moazzam Butt. The petitioner also requested the court to postpone the by-elections at 365 polling stations to be held on July 5 till the disposal of the petition.
The petitioner asked the court that the Election Commission of Pakistan may be directed to suspend any further proceedings in consequence of the election, including oath-taking of the successful candidates.
The petitioner, who is an elected MPA from Mardan, argued that local government elections in his native district were also not held under the law as there was complete mismanagement and rigging on the polling day.
In the grounds to his petition, Zahid Durrani submitted report of deputy commissioner/district returning officer (DRO) Mardan, Shahidullah Khan, in which he assessed that all the political parties in the May 30 elections were involved in rigging of all kinds including pre-poll, post-poll and also during the polling. The report said the elections were married by mismanagement, rigging, hooliganism and sabotage.
The petition said that on the day of the polling, there was complete lack of communication between the Election Commission and the local administration.The petition noted that by now the provincial government as well all opposition parties had expressed no-confidence in the elections on the ground that these were not fair as required by the law.
Our correspondent in Bannu adds: The candidates in the local government elections Monday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) not to hold the re-election in Ramazan or else they would boycott it.
Speaking at a press conference, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate for tehsil council seat from Domail II, Imtiaz Khan and several independent candidates said that turnout in the previously held local government election was low due to scorching heat.
They said the turnout in the re-polling on July 5 would be much lower than the previous elections.They said that it was difficult for the candidates to convince the voters to come out of their houses in Ramazan amid sweltering heat to cast their votes. ­