Summary PPP leaders alleged rigging in AJK elections, accused PML-N of irregularities and vowed continued protests, demanding accountability over disputed results.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders and Senator Palwasha Khan have rejected alleged rigging in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, saying the party will not remain silent over alleged electoral irregularities.
Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside PPP leaders Shahla Raza and Sharmila Faruqui, Palwasha Khan alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was involved in electoral irregularities and said the PPP had evidence to support its allegations.
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Palwasha Khan claimed that government ministers had announced their victory as early as noon, alleging that an attempt was being made to form a government in AJK through alleged rigging. She said the PML-N was uncomfortable with the PPP raising its voice against alleged electoral manipulation.
She said the PPP had been allowed to govern AJK for only six months and alleged that statements by ministers claiming to have 12 seats “in their pockets” had contributed to unrest in Kashmir. She further alleged that internal disputes within the government were being used to target the PPP, while the federal government was the actual target.
Palwasha Khan also criticised those calling for President Asif Ali Zardari’s resignation, saying political opponents should not forget that Zardari was president.
Shahla Raza said every election was important because voters exercised their constitutional right to choose their representatives. Referring to the slogan of giving respect to the vote, she said respect for the vote also required exposing alleged electoral rigging.
