The local council elections have turned controversial much before the polling date. The formality of the process of filing of nomination papers, scrutiny, and polling is only aimed at to stage a national level amusement show. The intimidation, restrainment, kidnapping, arrests, illegal detentions by state machinery and the private army of ruling ministers and influentials remained order of the day since the announcement of Local bodies election schedule. The helplessness that the Election Commission is faced with before the District Police Officer, Badin is quite visible. The DPO Badin politely and diplomatically refused to implement the CEC order for reversal of some new transfers in his district. The Election Commission had barred the provinces from making transfers and postings of government officials after the announcement of schedule. However, the Sindh government flouted the ECP directives from the day the schedule was made public. Hundreds of such transfers and postings orders from DIG to constable level were slapped on the face of free and fair election process. Several hundred incidents of intimidation, threats, kidnapping, arrests and detentions of Awam Dost candidates all over the country went unheard at the Election House. The minorities of the Sindh were disenfranchised by delaying the notification of increase in their reserve seats in their majority areas till the date of filing nomination papers was over. The difference of 7 million voters between the NADRA and ECP voters list left unresolved resulting in refusal to admit nominations of candidates whose names were missing from either of the list. The Awam Dost candidates were restrained from filing nominations. They and their proposers and seconders were hounded by police and state machinery. The scrutiny of the nomination papers were done in a style where courts looked like no-go areas for the candidate to appear for the procedure. Two of the Nazim candidates in Umerkot, who were kidnapped and released after many days after scrutiny, were released in bruised conditions. FIRs for their kidnapping were refused despite the fact that their kidnappings were reported to the ECP.  

The CEC has the powers to suspend any government official who obstructs to implement his orders. The ECP only issued an statement to the press "warning of stern action" against Sindh administration. The stern action  warning only invited Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim to violate the Code of Conduct in more brazen way. Another Federal Minister Liaquat Jatoi was inaugurating development schemes and gas supply in Dadu and practically daring the CEC to take an action against him. "I will continue to provide (announce and inaugurate) gas and development schemes. No body can obstruct me," Liaquat Jatoi told Sindh TV in an interview just 24 hours after CEC warning of stern action. Liaquat Jatoi, amused the observed, when he took a helicopter to the Jamshoro terrains in the name of flood relief despite the fact that there was no flood at all in the said terrains. The PPP MNA Nawab Ghani Talpur and former District Dadu Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar were hounded by police and even implicated in case of DPO Jamshoro, Sikandar Magsi, who openly said that it was Liquat Jatoi who got him posted as DPO hence he would serve his interests. The state resources are being utilized in full public view for the government candidates. Over 72 government vehicles, with their number plates removed, are being used in only one Union Council in Tharparker, where Chief Minister Arbab Rahim’s brother Abdul Khaliq is contesting for Nazim against Awam Dost candidates. The UC Kaloi has been practically made no-go area for Awam Dost candidate what to talk of canvassing. 

The pre-poll rigging in the electoral history of the country has registered another ‘landmark’ record, particularly in Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim home district Tharparker, where out of 44, thirty-six Union Councils have been won by ruling party without polling. This is the same district where in 2001 local bodies elections, not a single Union Council was won by the supporters. This happened simply for the reason that as much state machinery was not at his disposal as is today for being Chief Minister, chosen by General Yousuf Khan. Arbab Rahim’s brother Attaullah had won the District Nazim election in the same district only through a run-off election, that too with the support of some hidden hands.  

Observers believe that the very purpose of these local bodies elections seems something else than electing the genuine representatives of the people. President-General Pervez Musharraf, his ministers and chief ministers have been running a raging campaign for the nominees of King’s party with poor Election Commission looking haplessly. The Chief Election Commission has been made to do ‘acting’ so that this his role could be scrapped in case his ‘acting’ role is not upto the expectations of the King’s Party. 

The supporters of Pakistan Peoples Party have been the only victim of state intimidation and repression, which the local media persons being warned against to report. There is no denying the fact that the PPP is the largest moderate political force in the country. Subjecting its workers to such a large scale victimisation during the elections does caste shadow the General Musharraf's so-called crackdown against the extremists. The liberal political workers has been major prey of state machinery's onslaught against civil society. The brute joke of Enlightened Moderation at the hands of people picked up by proponent of the new phrase in Sindh and Punjab is worth making a Guiness Book of World record. Thus "Enlightened Moderation" has ended up as a headline of a joke played with the people of Pakistan in the same way as Pakistan First and Vision of Quaid-e-Azam. "Pakistan First" slogan turned out to be "Musharraf First" and "Vision of Quaid-e-Azam" as "bye bye Quaid-e-Azam".