KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday staged a protest sit-in against the “fraudulent” results of the local government by-polls, decrying the public “stolen” election mandate.
Speaking at the furious supporters at the sit-in protest on Shahra-e-Faisal, JI’s city chief, Monem Zafar Khan rejected the by-polls outcome and blamed the ECP and ruling PPP for the election “theft”. “We are holding this sit-in protest against the fraudulent election results and the Election Commission’s collusion with the PPP,” he said and added that “the history of the PPP is a history of corruption”.
Launching a series of allegations at the ruling PPP, the JI leader criticized it for “repeating” the history of electoral rigging on November 14, 2024 in the by-elections for ten seats in Karachi. He said that the PPP has manipulated the result Form 11 to amend and falsify the outcome in a bid to seize the control of the entire election process.
Monem vowed to oppose the election “fraud” and stand resolved amid doom and gloom. The JI will seek the court interventions to retrieve its “stolen mandate”, he announced that “the JI has always opposed such fraud, and we stand firm today as well. We pursue justice through courts, protests, and sit-ins”.
He told the supporters that his party’s struggle and resistance will continue to bring the ruling PPP to justice for its “rigging” in the polls. “We will chase you and hold you accountable,” he asserted. “The JI in the public office through honest victories in elections is never a threat to the ruling party; rather, it is its campaign against election rigging that deprives the public of their right to political representation,” he warned. He said that the PPP has continued its legacy of rejecting the public mandate, censuring the ruling party for the ingrained “feudal mindset”.
He claimed that the public has lost faith in the PPP after it widely betrayed its loyal supporters by abandoning its popular slogan of “bread, clothing, and shelter”. “This party is a clique of a few feudal lords and landlords under the guise of “Peoples Party,” he added. Eventually, he said, the public withdrew their support, terming the PPP a “family enterprise”.
Referring to a popular public and political tag associated with Asif Ali Zardari as “mafia”, Monem said that “this very mafia has been elevated to the position of President of Pakistan in Islamabad”. He said that the PPP has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to rob the public mandates. “From its inception to today, this fact has been proven time and again,” the JI leader also accused the PPP of welcoming the Gen late Pervez Musharraf’s (retd) coup in1999.
“This collusion between the Election Commission, PPP, and establishment is a sinister alliance aimed at robbing the people of their rights,” he alleged that “once again, under the patronage of the establishment, you tampered with Form 11, Form 12, and Form 13”.
He also blamed city’s mayor, Murtaza Wahab for “facilitating rigging” in Korangi, Liaquatabad, and elsewhere in the metropolis, calling that “PPP is not a political party of the people; but a fraud”. He alleged that the PPP clinched to power with the help of establishment.
The JI’s city chief branded the ruling PPP as “exploitative” government aiming to exploit Karachi, which contributes the most tax revenues. He said that the PPP has a clear plan to take over the city’s departments and bring them under the provincial control.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024