Islamabad: Pakistan People's Party chief and former Premier Benazir Bhutto on September 2 sought international attention by moving the United Nations (UN) alleging that her nomination papers were rejected by the military regime in an arbitrary manner.

"The rejection of her papers was travesty of justice," central co-ordinator of Human Rights desk of PPP said in a letter to Dato Param Cumaraswamy, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.

"The Election Commission appeared to be lenient and gave clearance to all the applicants. Their attitude, however, changed the moment Bhutto's call was made. All those who were present to watch the historic moment were forcibly dragged out," the letter alleged.

"Extra police was called in and that tiny room, where the proceedings were being held, suddenly became surrounded by a heavy contingent of police. Heavily armed riot police took position in and around the EC's office," it said.

"It seemed that the decision had been made. And they knew that another travesty of justice is being made, which would be not be easy for the proud people of Pakistan to accept," Bhutto, said in her complaint.

The papers were declared as rejected by the state radio even before the poll officials took up the scrutiny of the papers, she alleged.

PTI