Pakistan Awami Tehreek leaders have rubbished the outcome of Local Government elections held on Saturday, claiming "the worst-ever rigging was witnessed when police, with the collaboration of the Election Commission, have made sure that government-sponsored candidates got a big chunk of votes.
In their addresses to reporters on Saturday, party Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Chief Co-ordinator Mohammed Saeed and Information Secretary Noorullah Sadiqui claimed people were once again robbed of their right to vote when in every union council the police favoured the state-sponsored candidates.
In the Union Council 96 in Kasur, Member of Provincial Assembly Asif Nakai was reported harassing Insaf voters and snatching their identity cards to block them from voting. In his pointed address, Secretary General Gandapur said, "The government has broken all previous records of rigging. Wrong names and election symbols were printed for our candidates in many districts and in many places our voters were manhandled and nomination papers mishandled. Our voters' names were secretly shifted. Information Secretary Sadiqui, too, launched a scathing attack on governing party politicians, condemning the condemned killings at the Khairpur Union Council.