ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has expressed resentment over reports of alleged rigging in the ongoing local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accusing the PTI of being behind the recent incidents in the province.

The PPP Chairman expressed these views in his tweet on Sunday. He claimed that the ruling party “is resorting to violence and rigging,” and trying to undermine people’s choice. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is holding the first phase of the local government elections in its 17 districts on Sunday. The polls will be held in the rest of KP next month.

Referring to the fatal attack on Awami National Party (ANP)’s candidate in Dera Ismail Khan on Saturday night, the PPP chairman alleged that the incident was also part of a series of events that emerged before and during the ballot.

He said that the deceased candidate’s family has accused a PTI minister of “trying to bribe him [candidate] and later killing him.” The PPP Chairman linked the incident to that of the alleged pre-poll rigging that was reported from Peshawar’s neighbourhood council 34 on Saturday night and reports of polling stations being attacked during the voting process on Sunday.

Bilawal Bhutto said in tweet, “In Peshawar PTI people were caught red-handed stamping ballot papers the night before polling. All day, there have been reports of PTI [members] ransacking polling stations attacking polling staff including women.”

He claimed that the ruling party had taken rigging to a new level, which shows the “desperation and unpopularity” of the government it leads. “This is what a desperately unpopular government looks like,” he said.

Bilawal called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take action against the alleged rigging and ensure free and fair elections. The PPP Chairman also urged the people of KP to come in large numbers to use their right to vote instead of getting dissuaded by “PTI’s tactics”, and requested the PPP workers to report violations to the party’s election cells or directly to the ECP.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021