PESHAWA R: The Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Friday accused the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf of manipulating the results of NA-4 Peshawar by-elections and hijacking the mandate of the people through bogus votes.
ANP provincial general secretary and MPA Sardar Hussain Babak told a news conference here that his party had decided to file petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan against the by-election manipulation by the PTI.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal governments had fully utilised resources to lure voters towards their parties.
Mr Babak said like previous general elections, the ANP`s mandate was stolen in the NA-4 by-polls.
`The PTI and PML-N have purchased votes,` he alleged, adding that the ANP would approach the ECP for relief.
According to the unofficial results, PTI`s Arab Amir had won the NA-4 seat with a big margin on Thursday, while the ANP remained the runner-up.
The seat had fallen vacant af ter the death of dissident PTI MNA Gulzar Khan in August last.
Mr Babak said the ANP and its workers had given huge sacrinces for peace and prosperity of the people but its workers` sacrifices had never been acknowledged.
He questioned the role of security forces and said a constable had no right to cast vote during duty.
The ANP leader alleged that a women`s polling station in Azakhel was occupied by the women activists of ruling parties.
Also in the day, PML-N leader and adviser to the prime minister, Amir Muqam, alleged that the PTI had stuffed bogus votes in ballot boxes, while presiding officers and polling staff were transferred overnight.
`The PTI has breached the mandate of the people despite the f act the ruling party`s camps of fered a deserted look,` he said.
The PML-N leader said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan was interested in winning elections and had nothing to do with the welf are of the NA-4 people.
He said the by-election results had also stunned the polling agents of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate.
Mr Muqam said the election turnout in the NA-4 was low but the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf manipulated results.
Expressing satisf action with the performance of PML-N candidate Nasir Khan Mosazai in the by-polls, he said the party had bagged 5,000 more votes on Thursday than the last general elections`.
