Hyderabad: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former General Secretary of PS-64, Abdul Mannan Siddiqui, has strongly criticized the recently held Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections, describing them as a defeat for truth, justice, peace-loving forces, and democracy, while alleging that the outcome was secured through coercion, rigging, deception, hooliganism, and the denial of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
In a statement, Siddiqui said that a government formed through intimidation, electoral manipulation, “bullets instead of dialogue, sticks instead of democratic symbols, and votes obtained through money rather than public support” can never earn the confidence, sympathy, or genuine backing of the people.
He claimed that the entire world witnessed what transpired during the elections and that no further evidence of alleged rigging was necessary. According to him, one of the clearest examples of alleged electoral malpractice was that PML-N candidate Umair Naeem, fearing defeat, allegedly resorted to violence by opening fire on unarmed PPP voters and workers. Siddiqui alleged that the firing resulted in the death of PPP worker Mukhtiar Younis and left several others injured.
He further alleged that despite the incident, instead of being disqualified and removed from the election race, the PML-N candidate was allowed to continue contesting. Siddiqui argued that such actions only create resentment among the public and cannot win genuine public support.
The PPP leader also alleged that ballot box stamping, ballot box snatching, and setting ballot boxes on fire have been longstanding practices associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He claimed that the party’s political culture does not reflect respect for democratic values, public opinion, or the sanctity of the vote.
Siddiqui called upon the Chief Election Commissioner to disqualify PML-N candidate Umair Naeem and order fresh elections in the constituency. He also demanded that the results of constituencies where incidents of arson, violence, ballot box snatching, and alleged ballot stuffing were reported should be withheld until a thorough investigation is conducted.
The allegations made in this statement represent the claims of Abdul Mannan Siddiqui and have not been independently verified.
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