Sit-ins across country over ‘polls rigging’

• PTI sit-ins against rigging continue for second day in Lahore, Karachi
• Imran demands recounting of votes in 25 NA constituencies of Punjab
• MDM stages protest in Karachi over vote-rigging
• MQM demands re-polling in NA-250 constituency
• BNP-M, JUI-F stage protests in Balochistan 

Workers, supporters and leaders of several political parties continued with their protests on Monday following allegations of alleged massive rigging across the country in May 11 polls.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters in Lahore and Karachi continued their sit-ins for the second consecutive day on Monday, while a new protest erupted in Islamabad as well, wherein people demanded action against the rigging in the May 11 general elections.

The leaders and workers of Pakistan People’s Party, Wahdat Muslimeen, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also joined the protests in Lahore and Karachi.

All parties in the protest were in agreement that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had failed in its duty to hold free and transparent elections.

PTI PROTESTS IN KARACHI, LAHORE:

As PTI Chairman Imran Khan demanded recounting of votes in 25 National Assembly constituencies of Punjab, his charged supporters gathered at Doa Talwar crossing of Clifton and again staged a sit-in at Teen Talwar. They later returned to Doa Talwar and raised slogans against poll rigging in Karachi.

PTI workers said elections in Karachi had been rigged, therefore re-polling should be conducted. Various leaders, including Dr Arif Alvi and Syed Ali Zaidi, addressed the protest demo and demanded re-elections in Karachi.

The number of demonstrators kept on building throughout the day, with PTI leaders saying the party would emerge victorious if fair re-election was conducted in NA-250.

Some PTI supporters roughed up media personnel who were covering the protests, prompting media watchdogs and organisations to condemn the incidents.

PTI supporters in Lahore demanded a transparent re-election in NA-122 and NA-125, saying they would continue protesting until their demands were met.

On Sunday, a large number of young PTI supporters from NA-125 gathered at around 4pm at Ghazi Chowk (Walton) and blocked the main road for all traffic. The protesters were demanding fresh polls in the said constituency.

Later, supporters of PML-N also arrived and indulged in verbal and physical clashes with their rivals.

Heavy contingents of security forces reached the venue and baton charged the protesters. PTI fans and supporters said the sit-in would continue until their demand of fresh polls was not met.

Senior PTI leader Hamid Khan on Monday said he would lodge a complaint with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against election rigging across Punjab.

“We will not allow those who stole our mandate to live peacefully,” he said while talking to participants of the sit-in. He said the results were changed in many constituencies, accusing the PML-N of carrying out rigging across Punjab.

In Karachi, the Muttahida Deeni Mahaz (MDM) also protested over alleged rigging in elections in Karachi.

A large number of MDM workers gathered early morning and staged a sit-in at various places in Malir, Dawood Chowrangi, Sohrab Goth and other areas, causing severe traffic jams. Markets and business activities were also closed in these areas.

Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Khushbakht Shujaat also demanded re-polling in NA-250.

Addressing a press conference, she said NA-250 did not include only posh areas but has many slums as well.

She said that international media and analysts should also be invited during re-polling.

Shujaat warned the youth not to be misled by anyone and decide their own way.

In Quetta, the Balochistan National Party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) announced protest against what they called rigging in the recent elections. The BNP-M said they were being deliberately pushed against the wall.

Both parties said rigging had been done in counting votes and the results were delayed in many constituencies where their candidates were leading so that its candidates could be declared unsuccessful.

BNP-M Senior Vice President Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini and JUI-F Senator Hafiz Hamdullah said in a press conference that hundreds of activists and leaders of BNP-Mengal, including women, had been protesting against alleged rigging in the elections by staging a sit-in outside Quetta Press Club and in the garden of Quetta metropolitan.

He said raids were conducted in parts of Quetta by security personnel before the polls and BNP-Mengal activities were arrested and terrorised.

He alleged massive rigging in NA-260 Quetta/Chagai, PB-4, PB-5 and PB-6, where BNP-Mengal candidates were leading. He said the media was completely ignoring Balochistan, particularly BNP-M, which had been protesting against rigging.

He said the BNP-M would carry out a province-wide protest on May 15 against the rigging in polls.

FAFEN REPORTS IRREGULARITIES

In a related development, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) said its data had revealed impossible voter turnout of more than 100%, which had cast serious doubts on the entire election process.

FAFEN released an explosive report at a time when workers of various parties are staging protests on roads against alleged rigging in elections.

FAFEN said the voter turnout was more than 100% in at least 49 polling stations of a total 8,119.

The report suggested that at least 32 polling stations with greater than 100 percent turnout were in Punjab, 10 in Sindh, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one in Balochistan.

The polling stations with impossible voter turnout figures included 19 female polling stations, 16 male stations and 14 combined (male and female) stations.

Voter turnout is calculated on the basis of the registered voters for each polling station as given on the ECP.

Polling stations included in the analysis are only those in which presiding officers accurately calculated the total number of ballots as recorded on the Statement of the Count (Form XIV).

FAFEN has recommended since 2008 that ECP should void the results from any polling station where more ballots are cast than the number of registered voters, and should investigate highly improbable cases of voter turnout, such as those greater than 80 percent.