UNPRECEDENTED RIGGING COMMITTED IN GILGIT BALTISTAN ELECTIONS TO GET DESIRED RESULT THROUGH UNDEMOCRATIC MANOEUVRINGS – CENTRAL COORDINATION (MARKAZI RABITA) COMMITTEE OF MUTTAHIDA QUAMI MOVEMENT.

WORKERS OF THE RULING PARTY FORCIBLY OCCUPIED POLLING STATIONS IN PROTECTION OF THE POLICE AND ADMINISTRATION, MQM POLLING AGENTS HARASSED AND VOTERS STOPPED FROM CASTING VOTES.

MQM REPRESENTATIVES VISITING POLLINGS STATIONS DEGRADINGLY TREATED AND TORTURED

ARMED WORKERS OF PAKISTAN PEOPLES PARTY ATTACKED MQM MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IQBAL MOHAMMAD ALI AND SHIEKH SALAHUDDIN IN SHIGGAR

London-12 November 2009

The members of the Central Coordination Committee having severely condemning the electoral process in Gilgit Baltistan in a statement said that unprecedented riggings had taken place to get desired results by using undemocratic methods and using limitless governmental resources. They said that the process of rigging had started well before the elections by manoeuvring the electoral lists in which the names of the of the government supporters were listed in more than one constituency as a result unparalleled rigging had taken place in today’s Gilgit Baltistan Elections. The workers of the ruling party forcibly occupied polling stations where they casted bogus votes in the protection of the police and administration, MQM Polling Agents were harassed and stopped from entering polling booths; visiting representatives were degradingly treated and tortured. Innocent MQM workers were arbitrarily arrested.

The Members of the Central Coordination Committee lamenting the Government said that MQM elected Members of the National Assembly Iqbal Mohammad Ali and Sheikh Salahuddin while on rounds of different polling booths with Raja Azam, candidate of GBLA-12 in Skardu-6 in Dasu, Shaggar were attacked by the armed workers of the Pakistan Peoples Party and were degradingly treated and tortured in protection and collusion of the Police and Administration. They further added that formal complaints had been lodged with the Election Commission and added that the rigging had made the entire elections a suspect. The Members of the Coordination Committee said that they were collating evidences to present to the people and demanded of the Election Commission to take the immediate notice of the rigging.