PESHAWAR/ LAHORE/ KARACHI:
Completing the electoral college for the upcoming Senate election, voting for six National Assembly seats and four provincial assembly seats ended on Saturday.
Of the six NA seats on offer, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won two, Pakistan Mulsim League-Nawaz (PML-N) one, Awami National Party (ANP) one, Pakistan Muslim Legaue-Functional (PML-F) one and independent one. Of the four provincial seats on offer, PML-N won the two contested in Punjab and PPP won the two contested in Sindh.
All parties won within their strongholds.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidates Natasha Daultana and Ali Mosa Gilani (Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s son) won two National Assembly (NA) seats - one from Vehari-II (NA 168) and one from Multan (NA 148), respectively.
According to unofficial results, Daultana clinched 70,551 votes. In NA 148 Multan, Gilani led with 84, 239 votes, with PML-N’s Abdul Gaffar Dogar following with 40,000 votes.
PML-N’s Sheikh Tariq Rashid was on the verge of bagging the other NA seat from Multan (NA 149). Rashid lead the race with 23,435 votes, while PPP’s Malik Liaquat Dogar trailed at 15,814 votes.
ANP’s Himayatullah Mayar was took NA 09 from Mardan. Mayar won with 30,266 votes, while his opponent JUI-F candidate Shujaul Mulk secured 24,491 votes.
Azimuddin Lakhvi, an independent candidate, won NA-140 Kasur.
PML-F’s Makhdoom Mustafa Mehmood swept through the Rahim Yar Khan’s NA 195. Mehmood bagged 81,745 votes, defeating another independent, Tariq Chohan, who had 17,940 votes.
PML-N’s Malik Adil Abdullah Rokhri and Malik Azam Geeba snapped up PP 44 from Mianwali and PP 18 from Attock, respectively. Rokhri won by securing 45,670 votes, defeating independent candidate Malik Tariq Masood Kund who bagged 36,070 votes. Geeba led the race in Attock with 46, 976 votes, while independent candidate Malik Amanat polled 38,722 votes.
PPP’s Hasnain Ali Mirza (Zulfikar Mirza’s son) and Syeda Wahida Mohsin Shah Bukhari took PS 57 Badin and PS 53 Tando Muhammad Khan, respectively.
Mirza bagged 40,520 votes, while independent candidate Papoo Shah was runner-up with 7,983 votes. Wahida Bukhari polled 29,978 votes to clinch PS 53 Tando Muhammad Khan.
Though the polls were not very close, they were not without controversy.
There some sporadic reports of violence – but it was PPP’s Wahida Bukhari, the prospective winner in Tando Muhammad Khan, who stole the limelight – caught on camera thrashing and humiliating a lady presiding officer. The rampaging PPP candidate caused a 30-minute disruption in the voting process after she assaulted presiding officer Shagufta, accusing her of fiddling, and then went on to assault an elderly woman, Habiban Memon, while the deputy superintendent of police escorting her looked on.
“The staff was stuffing the ballots,” she told a television channel, explaining the reason behind her outburst. She did not apologise for her behaviour, however, and justified her actions. Talking to The Express Tribune, she went as far as denying the incident. “The opponents are making allegations. I just went and checked what was happening after I received a complaint of rigging.”
Her main opponent in the elections, Mir Mushtaq Talpur said he will pursue the disqualification of his opponent, Bukhari, on the charges of rigging and for the violence she created inside a polling station.
According to media reports, the Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan has taken notice of the incident.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2012.
COMMENTS (15)
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i think there should be recounting of votes of NA-140 Kasur.If it not happened.Then i think innocent person like(AZEEM UD DIN LAKHVI) should not contest election.Result changed only due to the interference and pressure of a political party leaders . Its my appeal to election commission of Pakistan plz GIVE JUSTICE TO AZEEM UD DIN LAKHVI.Please recount the votes.AZEEM UD DIN IS THE TRUE WINNER.
She should be disqualified and banned for life from politics. She is bathing in power. How can these people lead us, sheer outrage. Where is Election Commission of Pakistan? Its must be looking crunches to stand on to protect common people of Pakistan.
It is one of the worsts example set by PPP Wahida Bukhari in Tando Mohmamad Khan.
She thrashed and humiliated the lady Presiding Officer in the presence of the Police Officer as well as in front of several TV Cameras.
Such so called public servants do not deserve to sit in the Assembly.
Then to avoid criticism, she arranged another lady in Burqa and arranged Press Conference at her own expense.
This is the height of criminal attitude which has been exhibited at the polling station.
People of Pakistan are standing behind the lady presiding officer and want that PPP Wahida Bukhari name should be deleted from oath taking ceremony.
Her elections results should be declared null and void and the other candidate who got less votes should be allowed to sit in the Assembly.
If once such a precedent is made in Pakistan, no other political candidate would dare to beat the Presiding Officer.
The smacking incident is shameful and a responsible media is expected to play its rightful role in this affair. Express Tribune stand up and lead.
CJ please take a legal action against Mrs. Bukhari. She must be given show cause notice.
oh..... i lost.
So much for the 20th Amendment. What's the point of all these legislation when there is no one to implement the rules.
What would have Mrs. Benazir Zardari said in this matter?
Suo-motto disqualification; make the ....... pay for her action and denials even when caught on camera in action.
Syeda Wahida Mohsin Bukhari should be charged with aggravated assault and battery. She has no right to assault a presiding officer. I hope Election Commission will disqualify her immediately.
Tell Tsunami, we can swim!