PPP leader Sarfraz Bugti has advised nationalist parties, which are protesting against alleged rigging in elections for the past eight days in the province, to approach electoral tribunals instead of holding demonstrations.

“I don’t understand this. It’s fine where you have won elections, but you speak about security institutions where you have lost elections,” he said at a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday. “What role do they have in elections?”

Leaders from a coalition of Baloch, Pashtoon and Hazara nationalist parties have rejected the election results and accused the process of being marred by corruption.

Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, Balochistan National Party-Mengal, National Party, and Hazara Democratic Party were participating in the elections.

He claimed that it was not the first time that nationalist parties have lost seats, saying that historically some seats have always been won by the federalist parties.

“Right to protest and right to sit is given to everyone,” he said and expressed concerns over roads allegedly blocked by the protesters.

Bugti shared that his party has also reservations, but it did not turn to the streets. “You should go to the election tribunal and courts and they give relief to the people.”

He went on to add that nationalist parties should be part of Parliament and approach the relevant fora. “People have given a big mandate to us and we are the leading party in Balochistan and we have the highest number of MPAs,” Bilawal said.

While reacting to Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal’s comment about former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the PPP leader said that his grandson Bilawal was the only national leader who campaigned in Dera Bugti, Dera Murad Jamali, Turbat, and Quetta.

He claimed that his party won elections due to the campaigns conducted by the PPP in the province.

He expressed hope that the PPP would form a government in Balochistan and bring policies for the local population of the province.

“We appeal those parties to no malign our parties and approach relevant for against us,” Bugti said.