MQM calls for fresh polls in Karachi constituency

The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has demanded fresh polls in the entire National Assembly constituency NA-250 Karachi and rejected the election commission's directive for re-polling in selective stations only, Geo News reported Wednesday.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) earlier announced re-polling at 43 polling stations of the constituency where the May 11 electoral process was stopped following several complaints of irregularities and rigging.

Addressing a sit-in organised by the party outside the provincial Election Commission (EC) office via telephone from London, the MQM chief, Altaf Hussain, said: "We have the right to defend ourselves. We will protest when anybody tries to deprive us of our mandate."

Rejecting the EC's directive to conduct re-polling in certain areas and calling it discriminatory, Hussain demanded that upright people be inducted in the election commission and people of entire NA-250 constituency whether they were rich or poor should be given the right to vote.

A large number of MQM workers gathered outside the EC office and staged a sit-in to protest against its decision to hold voting at the few polling stations of NA-250 after cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party protested over disturbances during polling.