ELECTION RIGGING
COMPLAINTS
December 4. 2007
COMPLAINT # 1:
PPP
lodges complain with the CEC
Islamabad, 26
November 2007: Pakistan Peoples Party has complained to the Chief Election
commissioner that its candidate from NA-265 (Dera Bugti) Ahmed Jan Kalper
was kidnapped on his way to file his nomination papers and its candidate
from NA-267 (Kachi) has not been able to file his nomination paper for want
of security for his protection, which he had specifically requested a few
days ago in view of the serious threat to his life.
The Secretary General Pakistan Peoples party Parliamentarians, Raja Pervez
Ashraf in two separate letters to the Chief Election Commission, wrote,
"This is to bring to your notice that Mr. Ahmad Jan Kalper who. Intends to
contest election from NA-265 (Dera Bugti) was kidnapped today, around 4:00
pm when he was on his way to file the nomination papers in Dera Bugti.
"It is requested that you may kindly take notice of this outrageous incident
and impress upon the law & order agencies to recover Mr. Ahmad Jan Kalper
before any harm is caused to him. Furthermore, unless his recovery takes
place, he shall not be able to file his nomination papers for which the
entire responsibility shall be laid at the doorstep of the administration.
"I May add that in case the recovery of Mr. Kalper takes time, then his
papers may be accepted from his representatives who shall approach the
Election Commission for the purpose. The Provincial Election Commission may
please be advised appropriately."
In the second letter, Raja Pervez Ashraf wrote, "I wish to draw your kind
attention to a very serious matter in which PPPP's candidate Nawab Mohammad
Aslam Raisani who intends to contest election on NA-267 (Kachi) has not been
able to file his nomination papers with the Election Commission for want of
security for his protection, which he had specifically requested a few days
ago in view of the serious threat to his life. The request of Nawab Mohammad
Raisani has not been granted so far with the result that he has been left
for filing the nomination papers, if adequate security is not provided to
his person, he shall not be able to do the needful.
"It is therefore requested that the Provincial Government may be directed
to do the same without further loss of time to enable him to file his
nomination papers. In case this is not possible, at such a short notice then
the authorities in Quetta may be directed to accept his papers."
COMPLAINT#2:
Makhdoom Amin Fahim Condemns Kidnapping of PPP Candidates By State Agencies.
Calls for inquiry,
immediate release of victims
Islamabad
November 26, 2007: Vice Chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party Makhdoom Amin
Fahim has condemned the kidnapping of Sarfarz Bugti and Jan Muhammad Bugti
sons of Mir Ghulam Qadir Bugti allegedly by an intelligence agency and
demanded inquiry into the incident and immediate recovery of the victims
from his captors.
PPP activist Mir Ghulam Qadir Bugti today complained to the Party that his
sons Sarfarz Ahmad Bugti and Jan Muhammad Bugti candidate for a provincial
assembly seat were kidnapped from his village Bekr in Dera Bugti.
Sarfarz Bugti was kidnapped last week when he arrived in his village to
oversee preparations for the forthcoming elections. He was later charged
under MPO and sent to jail.
PPP candidate for the provincial assembly Jan Muhammad Bugti was today
kidnapped by security agencies from the office of the Election Commission in
Dera Bugti as he was trying to file his nomination papers.
Ghulam Qadir Bugti also said that he had been warned by the agencies to stay
away from the area. His sons were kidnapped so that the could neither take
part nor mobilise support to the Party in the coming elections in case the
Party decided to take part in the elections, he said.
In a statement today Makhdoom Amin Fahim demanded a thorough probe into
alleged kidnapping of Sarfaraz Bugti and Jan Muhammad Bugti, their release
and punishment to those responsible for it.
He called upon the CEC to intervene in the matter if the electoral exercise
to be lent a semblance of credibility.
He recalled that the NDI mission that recently visited Pakistan had
expressed grave apprehensions about how the intelligence agencies
anipulating the results of elections through coercion and intimidation and
had called for an end to the role of intelligence agencies in the elections.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that it appeared that as soon the election schedule
was announced the agencies had become active yet again to manipulate the
results of the polls. He called for an immediate end to the over and covert
role of intelligence agencies in the run up to elections.
"Electoral exercise has already been made farcical by the imposition of
emergency, a subservient Election Commission, the offices of Army chief and
president still being held by one person, improvised polling stations,
existence of mayors controlling guns and funds, gagging the media and
throwing behind the bars thousands of political workers, lawyers and civil
society activists".
Kidnappings and
manipulations by intelligence agencies had turned the already farcical
electoral exercise into a comical one, she said.
COMPLAINT#3:
Postings in Sindh to Ensure Rigging
KARACHI, November 27:
Former Federal Minister and member CEC of the Pakistan Peoples Party Nawab
Yousuf Talpur has raised objection over the posting of a close aide of
former Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim as District Returning Officer in
Tharparker and demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan to immediately
replace him with an honest, neutral and full-fledged District and Sessions
Judge.
In a letter to the Chief
Election Commissioner, he said Zaheer Ahmed Khan was Additional Secretary in
Law Department during Arbab Rahim's tenure as Chief Minister and it was
Arbab who got him posted as DRO Tharparker to rig the elections on the
shoulders of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said that Zaheer
Ahmed Khan was posted as Additional District and Sessions judge in
Tharparker after the announcement of the election schedule. It is
interesting that Zaheer Ahmed Khan was allotted a room in MPA Hostel on the
directives of Arbab Ghulam Rahim.
Nawab Yousuf Talpur said
that Arbab Ghulam Rahim was using all the state resources and machinery to
rig the elections, as he knew that he or any of his family members couldn’t
win the elections without the support of state machinery.
He also condemned the
chasing of PPP candidate Imam Ali Samejo from NA-230 and his relative Sher
Khan Samejo by some agency people and asked the Election Commission to take
notice of it.
The PPP leader also
pointed out to the shameful discrimination in Diplo at the office of
Returning Officer where Arbab Ghulam Rahim, accompanied by DCO and DPO was
given CM's protocol while PPP candidates were forced to park their vehicles
at distant place.
COMPLAINT#4: PPP Writes To ECP About Violation of COC
Islamabad, 28 November
2007: Pakistan Peoples Party has drawn the attention of the Election
Commission of Pakistan towards violation of ode of Conduct for Elections by
the head of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Ch. Shujaat Hussan.
In a letter the press Spokesperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party, former
Senator Farhatullah Babar, addressed to the Secretary ECP wrote, "I wish to
bring to your notice the reports that the President PML (Q) Chaudhry Shujaat
Hussain will be distributing allotment letters among journalists in the
Punjab House today (Wednesday Nov 28, 2007). While allotment of plots to
journalists is welcome, the distribution of allotment letters by the head of
a political party is against the Code of Conduct issued by the Election
Commission of Pakistan for the political parties."
He further wrote, "The allotment letters can be sent to the journalists by
post instead of illegally using the occasion to advance the political
objectives of a political party. Kindly therefore immediately stop Chaudhry
Shujat Hussain or any other political person from personally distributing
the allotment letters to the journalists and the same be distributed by post
using the normal official procedure."
Meanwhile the PPP has strongly condemned the inability of the Election
Commission of Pakistan in stopping Ch. Shujaat Hussain from violating the
Election Code of Conduct. It is wroth mentioning that the Secretary of the
Election Commission was telephoned and the letter was faxed to him in the
morning but the PML (Q) President was not stopped as he proceeded ahead with
the distribution of allotment letters later in the afternoon.
The PPP said that the election exercise has lost credibility as the Election
Commission was not independent and could not enforce its own Code of
Conduct, which has been reduced to a joke.
COMPLAINT#5: Letter By Mir. Bugti
November 28, 2007
The Chief Election Commissioner
Constitution Avenue, G 5/2
Islamabad.
Respectfully Sheweth,
I had submitted
application dated 24-11-2007, stating that my son Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti who
was to submit his nomination papers from NA-265 and PB Dera Bugti was
detained on November the 18th, and was henceforth being detained by the
Barkhan Police and lodged in their Jail. I had solicited necessary action
for facilitating the submission of nomination papers by him before the
returning officers. In response to my written request, immediate fax/UMS
letter dated 26-11-2007 was issued at your end to the Chief Secretary,
Government of Baluchistan, Quetta. Notwithstanding, my son was neither
released nor taken before the returning officers for presenting his
nomination papers to contest the forthcoming elections from the aforestated
NA/PB seats. This was maliciously done to favor the opposite candidates
contesting against my son specially Mr. Tariq Hussain against the latter
seat whose bogus testimonials have been accredited as none has been allowed
to file nomination papers against him..
It is therefore
requested that my son Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti's nomination papers from NA-265
and PB Dera Bugti may kindly be entertained and he may be directed to be
produced before the Returning Officers as and when required and thus allowed
to contest elections.
Sincerely Yours,
Mir Ghulam Qadir Bugti
H. No. 1477, St. 31
Sector G 11/2
Islamabad.
COMPLAINT#6: Letter By
Senator Khosa on Pre Poll Rigging
The Chief Election
Commissioner
Constitution Avenue, G 5/2
Islamabad.
Subject:
Pre-Poll rigging by former Chief Ministers and their appointees DCO's/DPO's
etc.
Respectfully Sheweth,
The former Sindh Chief
Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim summoned the meeting of DCO's/DPO's of the
districts comprising the province of Sindh and held long parlays in parting
instructions for facilitating candidates of PML-Q and the allied parties of
the defunct government. Since all such officers had been specially appointed
by the previous provincial government in sheer violation of the service
rules and notwithstanding their qualifications to hold such offices, they
are prone to dance to their tunes. Such subservient bureaucracy is likely to
play havoc with the people of the province. The level playing field
essential for free and fair elections is being completely overturned. The
code of conduct issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan itself is
being violated with impunity.
In Punjab, the former
Chief Minister, Mr. Pervez Elahi has identically summoned the bureaucracy in
the above tenor and issued identical instructions to bail out candidate
nominated by PML-Q. Such blatant violation of Election rules corrodes the
transparency of Elections and cuts to the roots of democracy.
The District/Tehsil/Union
Nazims are equally utilizing all their resources and their machinery at
their disposal has been thrown in to rigging the elections. Repeated
complaints with specific examples have already been notified to your good
self report requisitioned obviously would not provide the true facts as the
returning Officers/Presiding Officers are equally involved/partisan and have
specifically been designated for the purpose of manipulating favorable
results in favor of the King's Party. Some of the specific instances relate
to the complaint against Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, former federal minister, Dr.
Amjad, present federal minister for provincial coordination, Mr. Nisar Memon,
sitting federal information minister of the caretaker government, Mr. Javed
Ikhlas, District Nazim Rawalpindi, Ch. Ameer Hussain, former speaker
National Assembly, and in Baluchistan too the police/agencies had abducted,
confined, and detained candidates of the PPP who were thereby prevented from
even submitting their nomination papers.
It is over again
requested that appropriate action against the aforementioned sitting/former
government officers may be immediately taken and all remedial steps be
initiated to prevent further damage to the electoral process which is
becoming farcical and selective rather than elective by the people of
Pakistan.
Sincerely Yours,
Senator
ٍٍSardar Mohammad
Latif Khan Khosa
COMPLAINT#7: Complaint
Against District Nazim, Rawalpindi.
The Chief Election
Commissioner
Constitution Avenue, G-5/2
Islamabad.
Subject: Complaint
against District Nazim, Rawalpindi Raja Javed Ikhlas
Respectfully Sheweth,
That Mr. Qasim Ikhlas
S/o Raja Javed Ikhlas, District Nazim Rawalpindi is contesting Elections
from NA 51 on PML-Q ticket. The said district Nazim with all his official
protocol visited the constituency and is inaugurating the Election offices
of his son Qasim Ikhlas. He inquired the requirements and promised number of
development schemes in the area canvassed for his son. He also promised o
provide employment opportunities to the people of the area. With the heavy
police force and pomp and show displayed the district Nazim is influencing
the voters. He is constantly using all the state resources/machinery to rig
the Elections. The polling stations and the staff to carry out the electoral
process according to him are his choicest places/people, he is openly
threatening my loyalist supporters of dire consequences and all persecutory
threats are being unleashed to brow beat them into submission. All the
aforestated tactics are not only violative of the code of conduct but also
offensive to law and call for immediate remedial action at your end.
It is therefore
requested that Mr. Javed Ikhlas be denuded of his official transport/staff
and action under the law for subverting the electoral process be taken
against both the candidate Qasim Ikhlas and his father Raja Javed Ikhlas,
District Nazim Rawalpindi.
Sincerely Yours,
Raja Pervez Ashraf
Candidate PPP NA-51
COMPLAINT#8: Caretaker
Minister’s Daughter is PMLQ Ticket Holder
According to The News,
Caretaker Information Minister Nisar Memon's daughter, Marvi Memon, has been
nominated for PML-Q's National Assembly ticket. Marvi, who earlier served in
the ISPR, is presently the adviser investment in the Board of Investment.
COMPLAINT#9: Jobs Being
Sold In Exchange For Votes
By
Fareedulah Chaudhry
LAYYAH, Nov 30: Over 300
jobs in different pay scales in some district departments, which were
advertised months ago, are now being filled when general elections are on
the threshold and local authorities are allegedly trying to accommodate only
those candidates who will vote to their kith and kin during the Jan 8
elections, sources told Dawn on Friday.
Though the district
officials deny the accusations, some candidates have termed the process
“bribe” to win more number of votes and called this whole episode “pre-polls
rigging”. They have also appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
to take notice of this illegal practice and take action against the local
political as well as administrative authorities.
According to the
sources, the recruitment process in education, literacy and health
departments, which remained stalled for many months for the reasons best
known to the authorities concerned, had resumed abruptly and District Nazim
Malik Ghulam Haider Thind was trying to get more number of candidates
adjusted from areas falling in constituency PP-266 from where his daughter,
Razia Begum, was contesting the elections on PML-Q ticket.
The Thind family to
which the district nazim belongs is already holding key political as well as
administrative slots along with Jhakkar family and elites of both these
families are trying to manipulate the future set up by misusing their
current portfolios.
The sources said that jobs were being “sold” to those aspirants only who
would give an undertaking that they and their families would vote to the
district nazim’s ‘desired’ candidates.
The sources said that a
meeting of health, education and literacy EDOs was held on Wednesday (Nov
28) in health EDO’s office, which was chaired by district nazim in which
recruitments were finalised. The sources claimed that the employees of the
EDO’s office were told to leave the office before their scheduled time to
keep the secrecy.
The source added that a
new dispatch register was prepared to accommodate the candidates recommended
‘afresh’ by the district Nazim. The final list contained a large number of
candidates who were residents of the areas falling in PP-266 constituency,
the sources maintained.
The education department
had advertised 136 vacancies for various slots in BS-4 to BS-16 and certain
candidates had been short listed after interviews in August. Incidentally, a
new dispatch register was prepared again on the directives of the district
Nazim to accommodate the candidates recommended by him.
The source said that 36
posts were being filled through special quota while the remaining 100 were
distributed among the district Nazim and his cronies.
The district Nazim would
be able to accommodate 30 candidates of his choice, PML-Q ticket holders
Bhadar Ahmad Khan Sehar, Shahabuddin Khan Sehar and Malik Niaz Ahmad Jhakhar,
13 each, and Noor Nabi Jhakhar and Malik Allah Bux Samtiah, PML-Q candidates
for PP-265 and PP-263, five each.
According to the
sources, vacancies were being filled for the establishment of new schools in
the literacy department in an identical fashion.
Health EDO Dr Fazal
Karim said that all the recruitments were being made according to the policy
laid down by the provincial government. He admitted that the district Nazim
had visited his office but denied that he had chaired any meeting. He also
denied that employees of his office were told to leave the office before
expected time.
Education EDO Hafiz
Abdul Wahid Aulakh maintained that all recruitments would be made strictly
on merit and according to the Punjab government’s policy.
Literacy EDO Muhammad
Yousaf Khan (who is also brother of district Nazism’s wife) was not
available at his office for his comment. The district Nazim was also not
available for his comment. The Nazism’s telephone operator, Ghulam Hussain,
gave a cell phone number, which was also found switched off.
Mahar Fazal Husain Sumra,
a former MPA and Razia’s rival candidate, urged the CEC to take action on
this blatant violation of election laws. Iftikhar Babar Khan, a PPP
candidate for PP-266, slated this trade of jobs in exchange of votes. He
also appealed to the CEC to intervene and stop this politically motivated
practice going on unchecked.
COMPLAINt#10:
Murder of Chakar Khan Jakhrani
Mohtarma Bhutto condemns
murder of Chakar Khan Jakhrani
Calls upon EC to
investigate and order arrest of the culprits
Islamabad December 3,
2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Part
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has condemned the murder of PPP activist Chakar Khan
Jakhrani, by police in Jacobabad.
PPP leader Aijaz
Jakhrani complained to the Chairperson that the police raided the village
Bachal Garhi in Jacobabad and shot dead Chakar Khan Jakhrani, 25, and
injured Mohammad Nawaz Jakhrani.
He complained that DPO
Muneer Khuhro had threatened Jakhrani family including him asking them not
to contest elections as caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad Mian Soomro's
sister Maleeha Malik is contesting from the same constituency.
However, the Jakhranis
told the police that they were with the PPP and had won the seat in 2002
general elections and again were contesting on PPP ticket.
In a statement today
Mohtarma Bhutto said that it was the job of caretaker government to provide
a neutral electoral field. Instead it was abusing the administration to
achieve electoral goals contrary to its mandate.
Mohtarma said an
Independent Election Commission would immediately probe the matter and order
arrest of those involved in the murder of young Chakar Khan Jakrani.
She said it was tragic
that no respect was being paid to the sanctity of Human life.
Mohtarma Bhutto also
condoled with the family of the victim. She also prayed for early recovery
of the injured Nawab Jakhrani.
The Chairperson also
directed the Party leadership to visit the families of victims and offer all
possible assistance.
COMPLAINT#11:
Letter To CEC On Pre-Poll Rigging in District Muzaffargarh
December 3, 2007
The Chief Election
Commissioner
Election Commission of Pakistan,
Islamabad.
Dear Sir,
Mr. Abdul Qayoom Jatoi,
Ex. MNA from District Muzaffargarh has complained to the Central Monitoring
Cell of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians, the state of affairs
prevailing in District Muzaffargarh. He has reported that the entire
administrative machinery of the District including Police, Revenue and
Magistracy have teamed up and indulging in activities which are detrimental
to the interests of the PPPP. False cases are being registered against the
supporters of PPPP on trumped up charges. A far more serious and outrageous
complaint is the provision of 3 different voters lists. One of these lists
has been so manipulated that the numbers of voters have been shown to be
less in areas where PPPP commands majority. All their actions, as a matter
of fact are tantamount to pre-poll rigging and smack of extreme
highhandedness and partiality.
The story of District
Rahim Yar Khan is no different from that of District Muzaffargarh. Makhdoom
Shahabuddin Ex MNA has reported that the District Administration including
DCO and SSP have ganged up with the PML (Q) candidates and are openly trying
to influence the voters to vote for the PML (Q) candidates. The DCO has had
the audacity to openly call such meetings along with the SSP for the
fulfillment of their objective.
It is hoped that the
Chief Election Commissioner shall take due notice of these blatant
malpractices being resorted to in Districts Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan,
and take steps to check-mate the situation otherwise the elections shall be
reduced to a mere farce if this state of affairs continues.
Thanking you,
Sincerely,
Kamran Zafar
COMPLAINT#12:
Provincial Ministers, Nazims Supporting Candidates
Pir Syed Muhammad
Bachall Shah Jillani, PPP Candiadte from PS-30 filed a complain that the
district Nazim's and Taluka Nazim's are very much involved to support the
Functional Muslim League candidates.
Likewise, five
Provincial Ministers, who belong to Functional Muslim League are also
supporting FML candidate by visiting them with full protocol.
