KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday staged a sit-in protest here against the Election Commission for a “long delay” in forming of the new local government setup for the metropolis.

A large number of the JI workers and general public took part in the sit-in outside the ECP office, demanding for the new local bodies’ setup following the recent polls.

The charged protestors with placards banners in hands shouted chants against the ECP, seeking a decisive action against ‘post-poll rigging’ in the recent local government elections.

“The only function of the ECP was to hold elections in the city but unfortunately the ECP is negating its purpose,” JI Karachi JI Karachi Chief, Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman told the protestors.

He blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) governments for not holding the local bodies’ elections, saying that his party is the one advocating and struggling for the grassroots democracy.

“The PPP claims to be a democratic party but it has become ‘fascist’ with all nefarious tactics of post-poll rigging in order to deprive Karachiites of their mandate,” he alleged.

He vowed that his party will continue the sit-in till the schedule for the remaining 11 UCs is announced, saying that all cast votes for the JI will be protected.

Usama Razi, Muhammad Yousuf and others JI leaders also addressed the sit-in, demanding of the ECP to announce the schedule for elections in the remaining 11 union councils in the megacity in line with the Constitution.

They alleged that the recounting of votes in a number of UCs was manipulated as the returning officers tampered the sealed ballot boxes. They accused the returning officers of facilitating the polls rigging in favour of PPP.

They told the protestors that only the votes cast for the JI were scraped during the recounting, saying that the ECP has not taken a notice yet of the “controversial exercise”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023