Arbab says ECP, govt officers acting like PPP leaders' servants in Thar.

MITHI -- Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said that officials of both Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Tharparkar district administration are acting like personal servants of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party leadership and because of blatant partiality the commission has lost peoples' trust.

Dr Rahim, a former chief minister of Sindh, told a news conference here on Wednesday that activists of his party would besiege the office of the district returning officer (DRO) in Mithi on June 24 if their demands were not met.

He said that local PPP leaders in the desert district had started political victimisation of all the candidates who were contesting local government polls against the ruling party men.

He condemned registration of cases against senior PPP leader Abdul Ghani Khoso after he revolted against the party decision to deny him the party ticket for contesting local government election from Parkar region.

'Tharparkar has turned into a police state over the past few years where rivals of PPP leaders have been subjected to the worst political victimisation,' he said and urged the government officials to stop acting as personal servants of PPP lawmakers and local leaders.

He said that venues of polling stations had been changed and government as well as privately owned buildings, which were being used by PPP leaders, had been declared as polling stations, which clearly indicated that the party was afraid of defeat. They feared they might suffer humiliating defeat if they allowed a level playing field to all contestants, he said.

Dr Rahim claimed that ECP officials had already been handed lists of PPP candidates whose victories they would announce soon after conclusion of the polls on June 26 as per dictation of the top PPP leadership.

He said that it appeared the voting...