Rathore's LA-17 Haveli victory challenged

PML-N candidate seeks recount; alleges Form-24 tampered

MUZAFFARABAD:

PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz has challenged the election result in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's LA-17 Haveli-Kahuta constituency, alleging manipulation of Form-24 and seeking a recount of votes.

The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJKEC) has admitted his application for hearing and summoned the parties at 10am on Thursday (today) in Muzaffarabad.

Mohsin has also challenged PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to agree to a recount, saying he would quit politics if he failed to win the constituency by a substantial margin after the recount.

Reacting to the notification declaring PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore the winner, Mohsin alleged that the result had been altered through manipulation, turning his defeat into a victory for his rival.

"The prime minister who became victorious through Form-27 is turning his defeat into victory," Mohsin claimed. He said he possessed results compiled by presiding officers from all polling stations showing him winning the constituency by a margin of 8,600 votes.

He alleged there was a "huge difference" between the results available with him and those submitted to the returning officer. According to Mohsin, he had approached the returning officer seeking a recount, but his request was rejected.

He further alleged that the returning officer's purported partiality had contributed to the deterioration of the peaceful atmosphere in Haveli, asserting that he would not allow what he described as the "theft of his mandate".

He also alleged that the prime minister remained engaged in securing votes at polling stations throughout polling day, while armed men allegedly intimidated voters at polling stations.

He claimed that after the rival camp realised it was facing defeat, the result was allegedly altered through tampering in Form-24.

The District Returning Officer, Haveli, had issued Form-27 declaring Faisal Rathore the winner and Mohsin Aziz the runner-up. According to Form-27, Faisal Rathore secured 33,872 votes, followed by Mohsin Aziz with 32,354 votes, while independent candidate Tariq Saeed secured 12,538 votes.

The AJKEC's decision to hear the recount petition has now brought the disputed result into a formal electoral process, with the August 13 hearing expected to determine the next course of action.

Vehicles vandalised amid post-election tensions

Meanwhile, political tensions in LA-17 Haveli escalated further after several vehicles parked along a roadside in Hoter village were vandalised, with allegations that passports and cash belonging to some visitors were also taken.

Local sources alleged that workers affiliated with the PML-N and an independent candidate attacked people gathered outside the residence of Zahid Hashmi, a senior PPP leader and president of the International Kashmir Peace Forum Europe, in his native village.

Several vehicles parked along the roadside were damaged during the alleged attack, with their windows smashed, according to local residents and affected individuals.

Some of the vehicles belonged to people who had travelled from Saudi Arabia specifically to cast their votes in the closely contested constituency. The affected persons alleged that, besides damaging their vehicles, the attackers took away passports and cash.