PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party has opposed dissolution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in the wake of complaints about rigging the local government elections and asked Election Commission of Pakistan to declare the elections null and void to redress the grievances of the candidates.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, QWP provincial chief Sikandar Hayat Sherpao asked the government to convene an all-party conference to frame mechanism for holding the local government elections in a befitting manner.

Flanked by QWP central secretary information Hashim Babar, provincial secretary information Tariq Khan and Asad Afridi, he said that demanding dissolution of provincial assembly was tantamount to weakening democracy.

However, he demanded formation of judicial commission to fix responsibility so that the people found guilty could be awarded punishment.

`We had always raised the key points regarding pre-poll rigging, distribution of development funds and use of government machinery to change public opinion but the ECP did not take notice,` he said.

Mr Sherpao also opposed a decision of the district returning officer to recommend re-elections at 26 polling stations, saying that it wouldhave no credibility in the prevailing situation and ECP should refuse to hold re-elections.

About the involvement of army in the elections, he said that being a political worker he would not recommend it because the relevant departments and other institutions should also build their capacity to win peoples` confidence through excellent performance.

The QWPleader said that his party had also submitted written complaints to the ECP against flouting advertisements in the newspapers because it was clear violation of the election code of conduct.

He said that the ballot papers were printed in private printing presses with no check on them and people managed to purchase ballots and stamp the same before the polling day.

Mr Sherpao also expressed his reservations over the security arrangements, saying the election staff was untrained. Referring to the offer of PTI chairman Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak about re-elections, he said that fair elections could not be expected under the sitting administration unless a consensus mechanism was developed by all the political parties for the purpose.

He rejected Imran Khan`s claim of depoliticising police and said that police played a deplorable role in the recent elections and implicated innocent people in criminal cases.

He also demanded withdrawal of all FIRs against his party activists. Bureau Report