UPPER DIR: The losing candidates from Sundal and Nehag union councils have accused the district returning officer (DRO), district election commissioner (DEC), returning officer of Wari and polling staff of rigging the local government elections in their area.

Addressing at a press conference, the candidates including Anwerzeb and Malak Nisar Khan claimed that they had solid evidence of poll rigging. They said that at many polling stations votes of those people, who were in Saudi Arabia, were also polled.

They threatened to march on Peshawar and stage protest demonstrations if reelections were not announced in the area. They alleged that the teachers, who were affiliated with the ruling Jamaat-i-Islami and ran the election campaign of their party candidates, were deputed at the polling stations in the area.

Nisar Khan said that at three polling stations in Sankor, Sundal and Mishwano Banda, votes of those people, who were on duty in other areas and abroad, were also polled. He said that Shahid Hussain, the son of JI candidate Hashmat Ali, was still in Saudi Arabia but his vote was polled in the elections.

He said that Fazal Amin was performing election duty in faraway Dobando area but his vote was polled by someone else. How a person could come from such a faraway distance and cast his vote, he questioned.

Nisar Khan said that JI activists beat a police constable and forcibly took him out of Sundal polling station. He said that Abdul Akbar Khan cast two votes at two different polling stations in Shahgai and Sankor. He said that a voter Nadar Khan polled his vote at Sundal polling station by showing the photocopy of his identity card which was not allowed as per rules.

The losing candidates said that they had submitted applications with DEC and returning officer to provide them official voter list but to no avail. They demanded of ECP to take action against those, who were involved in rigging, and announce re-elections in the area. Correspondent