Nowshera, Dec 13: PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto made her party candidates swear on the Quran during the closed-door meeting that after their elections they would not indulge in horse-trading and would give due respect and importance to party workers and refrain from exploiting them.

Those who swore by the Quran include the two National Assembly candidates from Nowshera, and five provincial assembly candidates.

The four PPP candidates for the National Assembly from Peshawar district and 11 party contestants for NWFP Assembly seats from Peshawar were also administered this oath.

It was learnt that a day earlier, the PPP candidates from Mardan were given a similar oath in a closed session. It seems this is now a standard policy to bound party candidates so that they don’t switch loyalties and fall prey to horse-trading.

The suspicion about some former PPP MPAs in the NWFP that they sold their votes in Senate elections was stated to be one of the reasons for making the candidates swear on the Quran that they would not indulge in horse-trading.

Subsequently at the workers’ meeting in Pabbi, Benazir Bhutto publicly called the party candidates from Peshawar and Nowshera districts on stage and asked them to once again take oath that they would not do horse-trading and give due respect to PPP workers.

Unlike the closed-door meeting earlier, this time the candidates were not asked to swear by the Quran. Apparently, the public oath was done in front of party workers to ensure that the candidates after elections would be under moral and political pressure not to change their loyalties.

Strict security measures were taken at the venue of the meeting in Pabbi and the stage was thrice checked every hour, The News reported.

The PPP also obtained solemn declaration from all the party candidates, who are contesting elections on the party tickets for national and provincial assemblies have given oath and signed stamp papers that they will never defect the party and abide by its decisions come what may, party sources have said.

They said the ticket holders have also been made bound to follow the party line in case it resigns from the Parliament over rigging of elections by the government. (ANI)