Election Commission of Pakistan. PHOTO: ECP.GOV.PK
Presently, five returning officers have asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct polls once again in the southern districts of the province.
District returning officers from Bannu, Buner, Lakki Marwat, Karak and DI Khan have submitted their reports to the ECP’s provincial office, ECP K-P Deputy Director Khushal Zada told The Express Tribune on Tuesday. He said the DROs have provided the reasons in their reports – the predominant one being poor security. Khushal added the complaints read there were only two to three police personnel deployed at almost each polling station, a count not sufficient to handle a large number of voters, who later turned into angry mobs.
The unrest, said Khushal, slowed down polling. Due to the chaos and escalating violence, not many people were able to vote. He added women staff members were also harassed.
A candidate for a district councillor seat in Mamash Khel, Bannu, Wasiullah Khan, has said his vote count when given to him by presiding officer differed from what the DRO gave him.
ECP’s Khushal said re-elections would take place but on the written recommendation of respective presiding officers, ROs and AROs.
“For instance, re-elections have been demanded in Peshawar but we cannot carry out the request as we have not yet received a letter of recommendation from Peshawar DRO Riaz Mehsud,” said Khushal.
The letter has not been sent yet as the decision for re-election in 26 polling stations of Peshawar has been made orally, Public Relations Officer of the DRO Feroz Shah told The Express Tribune. He added once the ROs and AROs submit the reports to DRO the letter will be sent.
The same issue has arisen in Charsadda district where re-elections have been recommended by the relevant officials in 46 polling stations.
“We have received complaints from presiding officers as well as from the candidates regarding mismanagement,” an official of the district administration told The Express Tribune.
The Charsadda DC who is also the DRO has also asked for the same, saying the 46 polling stations also include those in Shabqadar and Charsadda tehsils.
The DRO said they have sent a request to the ECP and are waiting on them to announce a date for re-election. He added although the official results are to be announced on June 7, in the constituencies where re-elections are requested the results will be announced afterwards.
While addressing journalists in Charsadda, K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has said elections will be held again in all those constituencies where complaints of rigging have been lodged.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2015.
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