Re: Rigging in election 2008 by mqm in NA250
PPP’s Mirza Ikhtiar wants stay on MQM’s Khush Bakht results
KARACHI: The PPPP’s Mirza Ikhtiar Baig has gone to court to obtain a stay order on the election results for NA-250 and ask for repolling in the constituency.
The Sindh High Court issued notices for Tuesday, Feb 26, to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Provincial Election Commission and all candidates including the winners from NA-250, PS-112 and PS-113 in the constitutional petition filed before Justice Azizullah M. Memon and Justice Arshad Noor Khan Wednesday. The contesting candidates include Saleem Zia, Khush Bakht Shujaat (candidate returned), Captain (retd) Haleem Siddiqui, Begum Salma Ahmed.
Baig maintains that he contested the general elections 2008 as a candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party for the constituency NA-250 Karachi and that there was a seat adjustment; the Pakistan Muslim League (N) withdrew Saleem Zia in favour of him and in addition, he had the support of the PML (N) and other political parties such as the JUI, ANP, Sunni Tehreek, who also withdrew their candidates from the constituency and thus there was a one-to-one contest.
The petitioner alleged that he made several representations with the authorities/respondents entrusted with the national duty of holding free and fair polls in an impartial manner and specifically pointed out plans for massive rigging by the opponent party i.e. the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The husband of the candidate returned, Khush Bakht Shujaat, was a caretaker minister in the interim government and had been actively canvassing and supporting Khush Bakht. The employees of the education department who were being posted for election duty were warned not to resist their rigging plan. The petitioner also alleged the open use of education department vehicles and its staff for the election campaign for Khush Bakht and she was fully supported by the state machinery as well as the government media. It was also alleged that Baig’s camps were dismantled from outside some of the polling stations before polling started, polling stations were taken over and some of the polling staff were held hostage till results in her favour were announced.
The petitioner also maintained that the polling stations were made “no-go areas” and despite several requests to the election commission to take extra security measures at the most sensitive polling stations, no arrangements were made. The Pakistan Army was not seen anywhere in the constituency and the Rangers expressed their helplessness by stating that they were not allowed to enter the polling stations. The Pakistan Rangers were withdrawn after 4:00 p.m. and that was the period when the polling stations were taken over by force and the election agents of the petitioner and others were thrown out. Thereafter, the bogus voting went in full swing in favour of Khush Bakht the petition maintained.
Baig had duly informed the authorities/respondents in a letter dated February 19, 2008 about the malpractices, grave illegalities and violations of the provisions of election laws and informed them that the results of 23 polling stations and a few others were not acceptable. He requested they withhold the results and conduct an inquiry. The petitioner prayed the court to the declare that the commission was bound to decide the representation of the petitioner as contained in letters dated Feb 15 and 17 and 19 by assigning valid reasons, declare that without disposal of the representations of the petitioner as contained in annexures P/1 to P/4, the order for consolidation of the results and the issuance of notice to the petitioner, are unwarranted and bad in the eyes of the law, declare that massive rigging has taken place in NA-250 Karachi and the authorities/respondent completely failed to carry out free, fair and transparent elections.
The court was also prayed to declare that in view of the factual position, evidence with the petitioner and complaints being received from different quarters, as well as the fact that despite advance information/request no proper security arrangements/ deployment of army were made at the polling stations list whereof was provided, the election in constituency NA-250 and its provincial seats PS-112 and 113 are void and direct the respondents to make the declaration accordingly and fix a date for fresh polling as per law.
The petitioner prayed for an urgent hearing and also for staying the consolidation of the results by the RO. The bench, holding an urgent hearing, issued notices to the respondents for Feb 26. app
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