Except the triumphant Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) the candidates of all other political parties on Wednesday formed grand alliance for waging protest movement against massive rigging in the election of both National and all six provincial assembly constituencies of the district Nowshera.
The decision was taken during a meeting at the residence of ANP candidate from PK-13, Mohammad Shahid Khattak. During the meeting the candidates of different political parties agreed on the formation of grand alliance to protest rigging in all constituencies of the district.
The participants of the meeting rejected the results of all constituencies in the district and decided staging demo in district Nowshera on Thursday (today) to lodge their protest against the rigging and demand of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for declaring poll in all National and provincial assembly constituencies as null and void and re-polling in them.
The political parties expressed lack of trust in police, administration and officials of the education department of the district and called for conducting re-polling in the constituency under the supervision of Pakistan army and militia force in the district. The participants of the meeting later addressed a joint press conference at Peshawar Press Club (PPC). Those who attended the new conference were included ANP candidate from PK-13, Mohammad Shahid Khattak, PML-N candidate from PK-14, Ikhtiar Wali, JUI-F candidate from PK-13, Mufti Imtiaz Ali, JUI-F candidate from PK-14, Mufti Hakim Ali, JUP candidate, Syed Mohammad Sibtain Gilani alias Taj Agha, PML-N candidate from NA-6, Syed Zulfikar Ali Shah Bacha and independent candidate from NA-5, Azizuddin.
Speaking about alleged massive rigging in PK-13, from where Pervez Khan Khattak and PTI aspirant for the chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has returned his rival candidate Mohammad Shahid Khattak of ANP said that they have huge reservations on the polls. He said that during his 48-year of life he had started his political career from the local bodies polls of 1979, but he has never witnessed such kind of massive and well-organised rigging in any previous election.
He said that his rival Pervez Khattak of JUI-F actually have 8,000 votes, but obtained 34,000 votes. He especially alleged massive rigging in women polling stations, where he said despite demanding presiding officers declined to give attested copy of the results.
He said that due to previous record and bad reputation the people of the constituency he said had lost the confidence in him. Shahid Khattak said that he has 30,000 votes, which was diverted to Pervez Khattak while our maximum votes were also rejected. In this connection, he especially mentioned a person, who is abroad for last two months, but his vote has been polled in the election. Furthermore, he alleged that even those lacking NICs had polled their votes.
He said that on our Manaki polling station polling was stopped in the presence of Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Police Officer (DPO) while polling on other polling station remained continued till 11:00pm. The ANP candidate also called for the conducting the analyses of the finger prints of the voters in Manki Sharif and Dheri polling stations. He said that majority of the women of the area are illiterate and lady presiding officers of 91 polling stations were allowing only PTI supporting voters to cast votes.
He said that in Khat Kalley polling station, he himself had apprehended an unconcerned person who was stamping ballot papers and was handed him over to police. The accused he said was spouse of the lady presiding officer. Similarly, he said that several women were sent to other polling stations in the name of non-inclusion of their names in the electoral list.
Similarly, he said the pages carrying the names of their voters were also torn out of the list. He said that the PPP candidate from the constituency was told that his vote has already been polled while Syed Mohammad Sibtain Gilani of JUP, whose election symbol was 'Key' was printed as cow. Meanwhile, PML-N candidate from PK-35, Swabi-V, Sajjad Ahmad has alleged manipulation in the poll result of his constituency and demanded recounting of votes in the constituency.
The PTI candidate against Sajjad Ahmad was the second PTI's aspirant for the chief minister office of the province. Addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club (PPC), Wednesday, he said that their win was announced on television channels on 12:00 at night, but when they approached Returning Officer he delayed it till 10:00am., of Sunday and their lead of 1033 votes over Asad Qaiser of PTI was turned into a loss by 1800 votes.
He said that they are collecting evidences in the constituency and will be given to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and courts as proof of rigging. He demanded of both Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Provincial Election Commissioner (PEC) for the redressal of injustice met to them in the result of the poll.