PS-127 ‘rigging’: MQM’s Waseem Ahmed withdraws petition with SHC

Will file petition with election tribunal, says MQM legal aid leader

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) runner-up candidate for PS-127, Waseem Ahmed, withdrew on Thursday his petition that he filed last week with the Sindh High Court (SHC) against Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) successful candidate in the constituency, Ghulam Murtaza Baloch.

"The petition has been pulled back because it will be filed before the election tribunal that handles such matters in the first place," MQM legal aid committee Advocate Abdul Latif Pasha told The Express Tribune.

In the petition, Ahmed had contended that the results obtained from the Malir-based constituency were tampered with as his rival candidate secured a 'dramatic' lead at some polling stations. He pleaded that the court halt the notification declaring Baloch successful until the matter is resolved.

According to the constituency's returning officer, the MQM candidate received 15,553 votes while the PPP candidate bagged 22,187 votes. A total of 20 candidates took part in the polls but the toughest competition took place between the two candidates. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Nadeem Memon, who, during the campaigning was figured as a strong candidate, was able to secure only 5,580 votes. The voting turnout remained as low as 21% and there were 207,465 registered voters.

MQM voters were harassed, alleged Pasha, referring to the violent incidents reported on the polling day. At the time, Ahmed received the results for 14 out of the 82 polling stations in which he was maintaining a lead of 9,500 votes over his PPP rival, said Pasha. However, the results of the 52 remaining polling stations were not provided to him [Ahmed] and they were the areas where Baloch secured a dramatic lead, he said, adding that the MQM will move the election tribunal in a couple of days and had collected evidence in support of their claim.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2016.