Opposition complains of rigging in Tharparkar

Thousands of security personnel, including Army soldiers, supervised by-elections in the desert region of Tharparkar, but the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) complained of widespread manipulation and rigging.

The PPP alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering some of the booths in National Assembly constituency 229 and leaders and workers harassed and barred from visiting the area.

"In some polling stations, up to 50 per cent of votes were cast in the absence of our polling agents," Nisar Khoro, leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, said in Mithi.

"Voters' lists were faulty and the national identity card numbers were not written along with their names in the list," he said.

Sasi Palejo, a PPP lawmaker, complained she and her supporters were barred from visiting the area. "I was dragged and detained in the house," she complained.

"If they decided to secure a victory for Shaukat Aziz, where was the need for this farce of by-elections?" she said.

But Sindh Election Commission Chief Ahmad Ali Halaipota disputed the opposition claim, saying polling had been free and fair. "We made the tightest possible security arrangements to ensure free and fair polling," he said. PPP's Mahaish Kumar Mailani, a leader belonging to the Hindu community, has challenged prime minister-designate Aziz in Thar-parkar – one of Pakistan's most backward and remote regions.

Hindus, who are a minority in Pakistan, have a big presence in this area bordering India, comprising almost 50 per cent of the population.

Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghullam Rahim, who also hails from the area, expressed satisfaction over the pattern of voting, predicting a solid win for Aziz. Rahim's family has been winning elections from here since 1936 and the seat is considered safe for Aziz. the man credited with turning around Pakistan's battered economy.

"I have voted for Shaukat Aziz," said Ram Mangwar, a man in his early 30s. "He has promised to give us jobs and develop our area. We hope he remembers his promise after taking the oath as prime minister," he said.

Voters said they had never witnessed such tight security arrangements in the area.

"There are police and rangers at almost every nook and corner of Mithi" – the main town of Tharparkar – a government official said. "I have never seen such arrangements here before."

Chundi Mangwar, 55, said he had voted for the PPP candidate.

"I have been voting for this party since 1970s," he said. "I have again voted for it. Nobody stopped me from going to the polling station. I just showed my identity card and the rangers allowed me to go to the polling station," he said showing his thumb marked with black ink – a sign so that a person cannot cast any bogus vote.