SHC directs NADRA to verify PS-29 votes

Bars NAB from making refunds to Fazaia Housing scam victims until next hearing

An election tribunal of the Sindh High Court ordered the National Database and Regulatory Authority (NADRA) on Friday to verify the votes cast in 18 polling stations of Khairpur's PS-29 constituency, as it issued the verdict on a plea challenging Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) MPA Dr Rafiq Bhanban's win during the 2018 elections.

The plea was filed by Pakistan Peoples Party's Shiraz Shaukat, who lost to Bhanban by 900 votes.

Issuing the verdict on the plea, the court directed NADRA to verify the ballot papers, including counterfoils and voter thumbprints, under the supervision of the Sukkur regional election commissioner officer and law officer.

The court also sought a report from the NADRA within a month.

Fazaia Housing scam refunds

At another hearing, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Omar Sial and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi, rejected a plea seeking the review of the mechanism established for reimbursing money to citizens defrauded by the Fazaia Housing Scheme.

According to the petitioners, the SHC had directed relevant authorities on May 19 to return defrauded citizens their money within six months. They claimed that the National Accountability Bureau, which was told to oversee the refunds, had colluded with the accused and both parties intended to split the amount, depriving the citizens of their rightful wealth.

Pointing out that the court told NAB to gather the defrauded citizens' claims, they stated that NAB had published an advertisement in newspapers on June 22, seeking refund claims but no one could claim the amount they had invested yet. They expressed the fear that they would not get their money back.

The court referred the case to SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh, seeking the formation of a new bench to conduct its hearings, and barred the NAB from making any refunds until the next hearing. However, it directed the NAB to continue to verify citizens' claims until then.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2020.