2013 general elections: Vote verification ordered in Khawaja Asif’s constituency

SC also gives PTI candidate last chance to argue NA-125 case

ISLAMABAD: The top court on Tuesday issued an order for verifying the thumb impressions of voters in the NA-110 (Sialkot-I) constituency, where Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was elected in the 2013 general elections.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Anwar Zaheer Jamali, took up Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Usman Dar’s application claiming rigging in the constituency during the polls.

The court expects that the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) would be able to complete the verification within three months.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has been directed to provide the entire record of counterfoils and ballot papers to NADRA for verification.

The bench said the applicant would bear all the expenses incurred during verification, adding that the case would remain pending in the court during the process.



Soon after the general elections, the PTI had approached the apex court, seeking verification of thumb impressions of voters in NA-110, NA-122 (Lahore-V), NA-125 (Lahore-VIII) and NA-154 (Lodhran-I).

Re-elections have already been held in NA-122 and NA-154 due to massive irregularities. Likewise, an election tribunal had ordered re-polling in NA-125, but the matter is still sub judice in the top court.

When the bench took up the NA-110 case on Tuesday, Dar’s counsel Babar Awan said his client secured 71,573 votes while Asif received 92,848 to be declared returning candidate.

He said the election tribunal had dismissed his client’s petition in his absence, adding that five witnesses had recorded their statements, but NADRA could not verify thumb impressions of the voters.

After lengthy proceedings, CJP Jamali offered opening of constituencies for verification of voters by NADRA. But Asif’s counsel Rasheed Qasuri did not support the suggestion.

This prompted Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh to ask Qasuri why he felt uncomfortable over verification of voters. “If someone voted 500 times, then NADRA would verify it.”

The CJP said the court sought verification in order to dispense justice. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain also remarked that the court would be able to decide the case on the basis of NADRA’s report. The hearing of the case has been adjourned for an indefinite period.

Meanwhile, a special bench of the court, headed by the CJP, heard an appeal of Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique against the tribunal’s verdict for re-election in NA-125.

The bench gave PTI candidate Hamid Khan last chance to make his arguments, warning him that the court would pass its order if he failed to do so.

The bench told Khan that on his request the case was already adjourned twice. The hearing of the case was adjourned until January 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2016.