"Pakistani parties training workers to rig polls," Expert

New Delhi, Feb.18 : Pakistan has gone to polls today, but what must not be missed is the fact that political parties are preparing their workers to rig the elections of fudge the results, media personality Saeed Naqvi has claimed.

Naqvi, who has just returned after a week-long visit to Pakistan, said he himself saw how political workers were being trained in rigging and fudging elections by one of the main political parties.

"As I went to meet Mr. Nawaz Sharif, and I entered his residence, I saw how his political cadres were being coached in the rigging tricks outside his home under a big 'shamiana," Naqvi said during his talk on the "Political Situation in Pakistan: On Election Eve" at Observer Research Foundation here.

Naqvi said in Pakistan, nobody expected the elections to be free and fair and the main political parties were themselves preparing to rig the elections, while commentators and people openly talked of a pre-determined election result.

Naqvi, a media advisor to the ORF Chairman, said the elections would throw the terrorists-infested country into more confusion and into a worse situation.

He said in Pakistan, where usually the politics is focused on India and Kashmir, he was surprised to see that this time they were focused on their internal problems, mainly President Pervez Musharraf's war on terror, which has dragged the country into a big quagmire.

Naqvi said whatever be the election result, not much was going to change now with the United States and India going to polls later this year and early next year respectively.

Abid Hussain, former Ambassador to the United States and a trustee of ORF, said whoever won the elections, there was not going to be any change in the dominance of Pakistan Army in its power-hold and hence, it was not going to have much impact on its relations with India. He said the power would continue to be in the hands of Pakistan army which continues to view India as its enemy.

ANI