The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Thursday demanded from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to extend the polling time by three hours in the NA-246 by-polls. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the demand.
Addressing a press conference, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said that attempts were being made to slow the polling process. He claimed that some forces were trying to reduce the margin of his party votes.
He said this in an emergency press conference held on the directives of MQM chief. He said thousands of voters were being deprived of casting their votes. Sattar urged the authorities to extend the polling time. He said MQM candidate Kanwar Naveed Jamil would emerge victorious in the contest.
MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi claimed that the administration had agreed to all the demands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but Kanwar Naveed was not allowed to enter a polling station. A Rabita Committee Member said one vote was cast in an hour which highlighted the fact that there was a problem.
However, on the other hand, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sardar Raza has rejected the demand to extend polling time by three hours as demanded by the MQM. He said the commission would try to ensure that maximum numbers of votes were polled during the allotted time.
But ECP Member (Sindh) Roshan Raisani said the request to extend voting time could only be considered at those polling stations where voting process was stopped for some time. Reacting on MQM demand to extend voting time, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Arif Alvi said voting time should not be extended. He rejected MQM’s request to extend polling time and said even if they extend polling for five days, the MQM will not get 140,000.
PTI Karachi General Secretary Aziz Afridi said they did not support the extension of the voting time. He said they were satisfied with the voting process. The MQM was complaining because like last time five votes were not being cast in one minute this time, he claimed.
PTI chief Imran Khan, however, said he was hopeful for the positive results. He said: “The MQM is already making lame excuses as they will not get 140,000 votes this time.” He said had Rangers were there, polling could not have held at this constituency.
On the other side, Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chapter Amir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman rejected the MQM demand to extend polling time. He said they were competing with MQM’s fake voters and have already lodged 35 complaints in this regard. He said they appreciate rangers’ role to make polling peaceful.
