Five arrested in postal ballot stamp fraud in Sehwan

SEHWAN SHARIF: As the general elections are just a few days away, reports of pre-poll rigging surfaced in the town of Sehwan Sharif where stamps were being placed on the postal ballot papers.

The incident was reported in PS-80 Sehwan Sharif in district Jamshoro where former chief minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah is among the candidates contesting elections.

The stamps were being placed in the Education Office where an official of the Primary Teachers Association and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activist was found involved in the activity.

Police arrested Aziz Rahupoto and five others in the office of Qurban Ali Memon. More than 200 ballot papers were also found from their possession. The arrests was made after he was pointed by members a rival political party.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been informed of the misconduct. DIG Hyderabad Sultan Khawaja said that Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Jamshoro has been tasked to visit Sehwan and initiate an inquiry.

Caretaker Chief Minister Fazlur Rehman has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from SSP Jamshoro.

Postal ballot papers are used by those who perform duties on election day and are thus unable to vote, and instead vote in the presence of the returning officer.