Key opposition parties boycott presidential vote

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and the Balochistan National Party (BNA) on Friday announced a boycott of the upcoming presidential election.

The former ruling party was left with no option but to boycott the vote, PPP’s presidential nominee Senator Raza Rabbani told a news conference in Islamabad. He thanked other opposition partners for supporting the PPP decision.

Senator Haji Adeel of to the Awami National Party said his party had already announced it would support any decision of the PPP. The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) has also decided to boycott the election.

The PPP said the Supreme Court’s decision on the election schedule gave it little time to campaign for the presidential ballot. On a petition filed by the ruling PML-N, the court ordered the election be held on July 30.

The Awami Muslim League (AML) head, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, said his party would also boycott the poll. He regretted not all parties were heard.

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