An All Parties Conference (APC) on Wednesday gave a call for observing black day on Friday against the alleged large-scale rigging in May 11 general elections in Karachi. Scores of political and religious parties also announced to stage a sit-in on the same day at Mazar-e-Quaid to register their protest against election irregularities.
Both announcements came in the APC, which was convened by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) at Idara-e-Noor-e-Haq. Chairing the conference, Chief of JI, Karachi, Muhammad Hussain Mehanati urged the Election Commission of Pakistan for re-polling in the presence of Pakistan Army in Karachi and Hyderabad. "People are upset and frustrated due to massive rigging in elections," he observed.
He said that all the parties were unanimous to call the recent polls "rigged" across the metropolis and vowed to undertake a joint struggle to press ECP for re-polls in Karachi and Hyderabad. "All parties demand fresh polling across the city," he said, adding that "not re-polling only in NA-250 rather in the whole city in presence of army." The election commission should investigate the irregularities during polls, he said.
Qari Usman of JUI-F, Usman Yaar Khan of JUP, Mehfooz Yaar Khan of AML, Mustaqeem Noorani of JUP, Maulana Ghayyas, Barjees Ahmed and others attended the APC. Earlier, female activists of JI staged protest on New M.A. Jinnah Road against the 'rigging' in the elections and demanded re-polling across the city.