KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for its alleged failure to hold fair elections, saying that the February 8 polls saw a historic rigging.

JI Karachi Chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman told a news conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq that the ECP failed miserably to ensure fair elections. The JI has the right to set off political agitation move with holding sit-ins protests against the rigging, he said adding that the protest drive will be unfolded across the country”.

“The ECP is abound to explain what outcome it intends to achieve by violating the public mandate repeatedly,” Hafiz Naeem asked, saying that the elections cost the nation Rs48 billions, which just deprived the nation of its will to elect their candidates to power.

Giving details about irregularities in the polls he said that the despite the ECP announcement, the Forms 45 and 46 were not issued immediately after the counting of votes to the contesting parties. “Forms 45 and 46 were issued on Friday, instead. They showed the worst rigging,” he said.

Citing one instance of irregularities, he claimed that the MQM’s candidate received 5000 votes in PS 91 but a joint contestant for the NA slot got 88000 votes.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024