JUI-F alleges widespread rigging in Kalat re-poll, mulls withdrawal from democratic process

QUETTA: The provincial emir of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey, has accused authorities of orchestrating large-scale rigging during the re-election held at seven polling stations in the PB-36 Kalat constituency.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, accompanied by Senator Shakoor Khan Ghabzai and Maulana Khurshid Ahmed, Maulana Wasey claimed that the electoral process in Kalat was heavily manipulated. He further alleged that similar tactics were expected to be employed in the upcoming by-election in Khuzdar.

Senator Wasey described the 2024 general elections as not genuine elections but rather an “auction.” He asserted, “A plan regarding Balochistan had been devised at a private hotel in Quetta and that the same plan was implemented during the Kalat polls.”

In response to these developments, Maulana Wasey announced that JUI-F has convened a meeting after Eid to deliberate on whether to withdraw from the current democratic system and instead establish a “public assembly.” He emphasized that the party would persist in its struggle against what he termed injustice and oppression, stating that JUI-F would not lose hope.

These statements highlight ongoing concerns among opposition parties regarding the transparency and fairness of electoral processes in Balochistan. The JUI-F leadership’s allegations come amid heightened political tensions in the province, with the party signaling a possible shift in its approach to participation in the existing political framework.