Vote recounting requests for 3 NA seats accepted

PTI’s Aleem Khan, PML-N’s Saad Rafique contend appropriate process was not observed

LAHORE : The returning officers have accepted the request for recounting the votes in NA-129, NA-131 and NA-108 constituencies after complaints of irregularities in the counting were raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates.

PTI leader Abdul Aleem Khan had requested the RO for recounting in NA-129 after he lost to PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq. Likewise, Khawaja Saad Rafique also requested the RO for recounting after he was defeated by PTI Chairman Imran Khan from NA-131. Abid Sher Ali of PML-N also made a similar request after suffering defeat in NA-108 at the hands of PTI’s Farrukh Habib.

The runner-up candidates of the two parties had challenged the results of their constituencies on similar grounds. They contended that the presiding officers in their constituencies either wrongly excluded valid votes from counting process without substantial reason or deliberately rejected hundreds of votes.



The ROs have issued notices to the candidates and others that the recounting of votes on the aforementioned constituencies will be done on July 28 (today) at 10 am.

There was a tough contest on NA-131 between PTI Chief Imran Khan and Khawaja Saad Rafique. However, Imran Khan won the elections with a razor-thin margin after which the former Railways minister challenged the result.

Rafique submitted that the presiding officers had deliberately rejected hundreds of votes casted in his favour. He also requested that the result should be withheld until process of counting the rejected votes is completed. The former Railways minister complained about the delaying tactics as well.



On the contrary, PTI’s Aleem Khan contended that the procedure prescribed under the election laws 2017 for counting of votes has not been followed at NA-129.

He contested that the inclusion and exclusion of valid and rejected votes has not been properly observed by the presiding officers.

He complained that no suitable action was taken against the polling staff at the time of counting. The PTI leader said that the votes casted in his favour were rejected without any legal and valid ground prescribed under the Election Act 2017.