ISLAMABAD, April 17: Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has slammed the federal government for launching pre-poll rigging in AJK ahead of the general elections in the area.
“By selectively doling out development funds to candidates belonging only to PML-N the federal government has resorted to a worst form pre-poll rigging that must not be allowed”, he said in a statement today. The Pakistan People’s Party condemns this devious scheme to manipulate elections and demands that this illegal practice is stopped forthwith, he said.
He said that announcing development projects at this point and oling out funds to PML-N candidates was tantamount to buying votes.
Distributing the Kashmir Council funds among favorites is an insult to the mandate of people.
Bilawal said that he was shocked over the devious methods adopted by the federal government to manipulate the forthcoming elections in AJK.
There also are disturbing reports that non-Kashmiri Pakistani citizens living elsewhere in the country have been registered as voters in various constituencies in connivance with some federal government agencies, he said.
He said that adding new voters in lists sent by Azad Kashmir Election Commission was not in the domain of NADRA.
The PPP wishes to put on notice all departments to be careful and not give in to the inducements or threats that may be hurled at them to rig the Kashmir polls.
It appears that the PML-N leadership has not learnt any lessons from its mistakes and is bent upon repeating them he said. It will be most unfortunate amd undermine political stability if the forthcoming Kashmir elections lost credibility even before these were held. The PPP cannot and will not permit any gerrymandering in the elections , he said.- NNI