LAHORE - Following publication of the ECP report on May 11 elections highlighting massive irregularities by the Returning Officers, the PPP may reconsider its present stance to force the government to hold mid-term polls.
An indication in this regard came from senior PPP leader Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo who said in statement that in the light of the revelations made by the ECP, it had become exceedingly difficult for the PPP to stick to its present position on rigging in May 11 elections.
“The PPP would reconsider its position as the stand of the party on May elections would become exceedingly difficult to defend in the future after publication of the ECP report”, he remarked, adding, that the ECP report had put the legitimacy of the government in jeopardy and it would be appropriate to seek fresh mandate from the electorates.
He said that the PPP leadership decided to accept the election results only for the sake of the continuity of democracy as the party leaders and workers had rendered ultimate sacrifices for this cause.
Wattoo said that the reservations raised by the PPP leadership regarding the dubious role of the Returning Officers on 2013 elections had been confirmed by the Election Commission Report published in the media on Tuesday.
He said that ECP report had listed multiple factors responsible for the “electoral mess created by the Returning Officers”. He further said that the system for the tabulations of election results was out of order, ballots papers were not received on time, staff was not trained for the use of magnetic ink and above all the Returning Officers changed the staff at the nick of time.
He observed that the ECP report had damaged the credibility of the whole electoral process of 2013 elections ,adding, that the PML-N would lose its legal and moral authority of having mandate of the people representing the voice of the people.
He said that the Chairman Bilawal Bhutto would also unfold the extent of rigging of 2013 elections from Karachi to Khyber on October 18, 2014, when he would be addressing the party meeting at Karsaz, Karachi, the day when terrorists tried to assassinate Shaheed Benazir Bhutto as she was leading the mammoth procession there after arrival in Karachi from Dubai.
He recalled that after few days of 2013 elections, Co- Chairman Asif Ali Zardari in his meeting in Karachi with TV Anchorpersons said that the ROs were responsible for the electoral debacle inflicted on the PPP.
How it is possible that the support of the party evaporated with the start of the borders of South Punjab up to Attock and returned with the commencement of KPK frontiers, he asked.