Senior Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leader and Naib Amir Jamat-i-Islami (JI) Senator Professor Ghafoor Ahmed on Thursday accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of using "all illegal, unlawful and unfair means" for winning August 18 local bodies' polls in Karachi and termed these polls as 'fraudulent and highly-rigged'.
Addressing a hurriedly called press conference at JI Karachi office Idara Noor-e-Haq, he said MQM changed its strategy this time and instead of killing and harassing people outside polling stations, occupied polling stations and cast bogus votes by disallowing genuine voters to exercise their right of voting.
He accused Muttahida of occupying over 60 per cent Union Councils in Karachi through its armed terrorists and said these terrorists threw Al-Khidmat workers and as well as polling staff out of polling stations and cast bogus votes.
According to him, tall claims of holding "free, fair and transparent" polls by President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Chief Election Commissioner were nothing except for befouling people, saying there were no 'checks' inside the polling stations as security agencies (Police and Rangers) were just patrolling outside the polling stations.
"Despite our repeated requests, authorities and Election Commission Of Pakistan (ECP) turned a deaf ear to complaints and no arrangements were made to check rigging and hooliganism inside the polling stations," he added.
JI Naib Ameer claimed that so-called leading party in Karachi, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had lost its vote bank but they had planned to win these polls by hook or by crook.
He also criticised law enforcing agencies and accused them of acting as activists of MQM, saying Muttahida took undue advantage of its being power in the province and the country.
However, he made it clear that they would not boycott elections and would fight terrorists until and unless they were defeated and routed from the city.
Professor Ghafoor condemned arrests of MMA workers and said these actions by the Government were unjustified.
He, however, hailed efforts of MMA workers who were present in large numbers at MMA camps despite tension created by the MQM activists.
He claimed one MQM worker named Pervaiz Akhtar was held with three books of ballet papers and six such books were recovered from another from Ibrahim Ali Bhai School IABS (U-3), Jamshaid Town.
Giving the names of UCs occupied by MQM workers, he told reporters UC-3, UC-4, UC-5 (Oxford School), UC7-8 (Baldia Town) UC8-9 (Jamshed Town), UC-10, UC-1 Liaquatabad Town, UC-2, UC-6, UC1-2 Korangi Town, UC-6, UC-8 (Landhi Town), UC-11 Government Girls School, UC-12, UC-7 (Gulberg Town) and UC-8 (Saddar Town) were being occupied by the armed Muttahida terrorists.
Professor Ghafoor added that 2500 fake ballet papers were also recovered from an activist of Muttahida from Saddar Town.