ISLAMABAD: While polling continued in across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), three major Opposition parties on Sunday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of ‘rigging’ the elections. Opposition alliance of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) went too far by claiming that if PTI wins elections, the alliance would not accept results.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was first to cry foul on the polling day as Earlier as former information minister and PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman alleged that the Azad Kashmir elections were being rigged in a systematic manner.
“The Election Commission should stop government rigging and ensure transparency,” Sherry Rehman said in a statement soon after the news of a collusion between workers of PPP and PTI in Kotli, AJK.
“There is a clear difference in the voter’s lists. Police demolished the PPP camp at Fawara Chowk polling station while PTI workers opened fire on the vehicle of a PPP candidate in Kotli,” she alleged.
She said that PPP leader Chaudhry Yasin’s vehicle had been fired upon allegedly by the PTI workers.
Later in the day, Sherry Rehman alleged that PTI ministers had entered polling stations and the PPP had registered 21 complaints with the Election Commission of AJK.
This was followed by Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb who also blamed the PTI for election rigging.
In a statement, Marriyum said that PTI was clearly expecting a defeat and Imran Khan was trying to adopt 2018 tactics which is a proof of its confusion.
“Yes, Imran Sahib, you cannot turn your defeat into victory through rigging. Workers and the people should make videos and pictures of every government rigging and bring it before the people,” she said.
Referring to by-election in Sialkot, Marriyum alleged that votes were being stolen by abducting the staff of Election Commission in Daska and expelling the staff of PML-N in Azad Kashmir. She said that the PTI had harassed the polling agents of PML-N at different polling stations.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) also said that if Imran Khan wins the Kashmir elections, the opposition will not accept the rigged results. Addressing a rally in South Waziristan, Fazl alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had betrayed the United Nations resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He also alleged that Imran Khan had alos violated the 70-year-old stance of Pakistan on Kashmir by talking about a referendum in Azad Kashmir.
“We had earlier said that Imran Khan made a deal on Kashmir and this statement is a proof of our position. Now he is trying to get results in Azad Kashmir through rigging. However, if Imran Khan wins the Kashmir election, then we will not accept the results,” he warned.
