Pakistan: JUI-F council to hold meeting tomorrow to discuss alleged “rigging” in general elections

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Following the alleged “rigging” of the February 8 general elections in Pakistan, the provincial executive council of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) will hold meetings tomorrow (Tuesday) to discuss the alleged rigging in the polls and work out future strategy, according to The News International.

JUI-F Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rahman will also attend the meeting, which will be presided over by the provincial president of the party, Maulana Attaur Rahman.

Moreover, the meeting will be attended by all members of the executive council, including elected representatives of the party at various tiers of parliament and candidates who participated in the February 8 elections.
Earlier on Friday, the party staged protest rallies in various parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand and Hazara divisions against the alleged election rigging and Supreme Court verdict in a ‘proscribed literature’ case, Dawn reported.

Protest rallies were called by the JUI-F central leadership after Friday prayers, with demonstrations held in Shangla, Lower Dir, Battagram, Buner and other districts of Hazara and Malakand divisions.

Demonstrations were also organised in KP’s merged districts.

The JUI-F leaders also claimed that their party was defeated in the elections through rigging, alleging that external forces tried to keep religious parties away from Parliament but would not be allowed to succeed.

With the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and their allies striking a deal to form a coalition government, the PTI and some other political parties have altogether rejected the elections and announced country-wide protests.

On Thursday, JUI-F Chairman Rahman raised concerns about the legitimacy of the Parliament if elections continue to be disputed.

He criticised direct interference by the military establishment in the “selection” of representatives, warning that such actions would compromise the democratic process, The Express Tribune reported.