Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari alleged Wednesday that authorities are withholding the results of parliamentary elections and are attempting to change them.
"Last night the situation was that they were trying to change the results," Asif Ali Zardari told a news conference, two days after the polls in which his Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won the largest number of seats. "They had not yet announced the results even last night there was an attempt to change the results," he said.
The election commission has not yet released the official results, saying that around half a dozen seats have yet to be confirmed. "They are trying to rig the results by holding the final results of several seats," PPP leader Taj Haider said.
"They are trying to maximise seats of their loyalists although they have lost the elections." He said the results of five seats in Karachi were changed in favour of a pro-Musharraf party. "We are going to appeal against results of these seats and we will stop the announcement of these results."
In 2002 elections Musharraf formed a coalition government with a margin of just one parliamentary seat. Zardari reiterated he was seeking a "government of national consensus" with other opposition parties, but did not say whether he would form an alliance with the party of former premier Nawaz Sharif, which won the second largest number of seats.
"I am meeting with Nawaz Sharif tomorrow evening and we are going to find solutions to the problems of Pakistan," he said. He also talked with Imran Khan, Abdul Haye Baloch and Mahmood Khan Achakzai as part of consultation process. Zardari added, however, that his party had decided he would not be prime minister in any coalition government.
"I will not be a candidate for prime ministership," Zardari said. The press conference followed a meeting of the central executive committee of the party. He also said he had a meeting with the US ambassador to Pakistan on Wednesday and said the envoy-expressed Washington's support for consolidation of democracy in the country.
APP ADDS: About the issue of reinstatement of sacked judges, Zardari said his party also believed in this but it also wanted full autonomy for the judicial system in the future. About Aitzaz Ahsan, president of Supreme Court Bar Association, he said he had learnt that there was 'relaxation' on restrictions and he expected his release and participation in next meeting of PPP central executive whenever it was held.
He said Pemra ordinance would have to be repealed to enable the media to fully play their role as watchdog on the government functioning. Zardari at the outset said his party supported implementation of the wage board award for working journalists and added that talks would be held with newspaper owners in this regard.