–Hold joint press conference; say ECP, caretaker govt’s measures not enough for free, fair elections
LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain along with Parvez Elahi and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) leaders Pir Sibghatullah Shah as well as Ghous Ali Shah said the measures being taken by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government were “not enough to hold free and fair elections”.
Addressing a joint press conference, they said that inter-provincial transfers should be made and officials recruited by the former government should be removed from polling duty so that “history doesn’t repeat itself” and the forthcoming polls aren’t “rigged like those of 2013”.
“The entire administration and polling staff was recruited by the Sharif family and transparent elections are not possible under such circumstances,” they said.
PML-Q President and former prime minister Ch Shujaat Hussain, at the occasion, said that measures taken for rigging weren’t enough in 2013, and in no country, there was any rule that barred candidates from going into the polling stations.
Ch Parvez Elahi said the situation in Punjab was no different from Sindh. “The Sharifs governed Punjab for 10 years and all they did was posting officers of their choice,” he said, adding that if elections were held under such circumstances, the country would head towards chaos.
Pir Sahib Pagara said that they were ready for the elections but if the polls were held “like those of 2013”, then the country would suffer. “We do not have any faith in the elections,” he said and alleged that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had lost the 2013 elections but the seats won by the Functional League were given to PPP.