JI, PTI threaten to stage sit-in outside ECP if demand not met

KARACHI: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have alleged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is not playing its due role and warned that a sit-in would be staged outside the ECP if the justified demand of deploying the army and Rangers personnel in and outside the polling stations was not met.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Insaf House, the Karachi JI chief, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, and the Karachi PTI organiser, Syed Ali Zaidi, stressed the need to ensure transparency in the balloting process.
The coalition leaders highlighted the attempts by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to influence the electoral process and engage in pre-poll rigging. On the occasion, they showed a letter directing the employees of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Karachi Development Authority (KDA) to get enrolled as the polling staff and submit their photographs for the purpose.
They alleged that the MQM workers were being deployed as presiding and assistant presiding officers and attempts were being made to convert the election into a selection.JI Karachi chief Naeem demanded of the MQM leadership not to use unfair and nefarious tactics, instead tell the masses what they did for the city in the past 30 years.
He said that the city has been witnessing a movement among its citizens, and none can halt this wave of change initiated by the coalition of the JI and PTI.Further criticising the ECP, he said that the election was being conducted on the basis of the same voters lists that were declared flawed by the apex court.
Instead of acting upon the court directives to correct the lists, the ECP was going to conduct elections as per the lists.The JI leader asked who would stop the terrorist elements from taking polling stations as hostages. It is the responsibility of the government and the law-enforcing agencies, he said and added that so they demand deployment of Army and Rangers in and outside the polling stations.
Speaking on the occasion Ali Zaidi demanded of the election commission to reveal those recommendations according to the provincial election commissioner, Tanvir Zaki, sent to the ECP, so the people would know the facts. He further said that if Tanvir Zaki is unable to discharge his duties without fear and pressure than he should be replaced with someone else having a strong spine.
He said that we would accept the results of the local government elections if the polling process remained crystal clear. However, if the people’s mandate was stolen through rigging, the people would not accept the results.
He was of the view that only the scorecard has to be shown on December 5 as the masses have decided to end the status quo in the city. Ali Zaidi further said that no one can stop change on Dec 5 if the umpire remained neutral.On the occasion, election manifesto was also revealed. Firdous Shamim Naqvi of the PTI shed light on the important points of the manifesto.