ECP Secretary confirmed that the papers were printed by JI, adding the purpose of the papers was to educate voters. PHOTO: FILE
CHAKDARA: Police seized more than 90,000 forged ballot papers on Sunday, allegedly printed for national and provincial constituencies of Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts.
According to the police, three packets of forged ballot papers were recovered from a car travelling towards Dir.
“Police were conducting a routine check on the Dir-Chitral road when they asked a car to pull over and recovered the bundles of forged ballot papers. The vehicle, along with the two men in it, was taken into custody and election commission officials were informed,” DIG Malakand Division Abdullah Khan told reporters.
The accused, Suliman and Aizazul Haq, residents of the Khungi area in Timergara, were arrested and handed over to the Chakdarra police. Officials said that after interrogation the police also arrested another suspect Habibullah, a resident of Odigram and owner of a printing press in Timergara.
An official of the Chakdarra police told The Express Tribune that initial investigations revealed that the forged ballot papers were of yellow and green colour and were for NA-34, and PK-94, 95, 96, and 97 constituencies.
The official added that a case under sections 420/468 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered against the accused.
Following the incident, the PPP candidate from NA-34, Malik Azmat Khan, claimed that security forces had thwarted Jamaat-e-Islami’s plan of poll rigging.
Malik demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) take action against candidates who were allegedly involved in unfair practices.
Meanwhile, the ECP received the initial reports regarding the incident. The commission’s secretary, Ishtiaq Ahmed, confirmed in a briefing that the forged papers were printed by Jamaat-e-Islami. However, he added that the purpose of the papers was to educate the voters and were not meant for rigging.
The investigation in the matter is still under way.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2013.
COMMENTS (3)
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Why not introduce electronic voting ASAP.This will save trees too.
Or may be ... u know... do i have to say it? ;)
I don't get it!
Is it not the responsibility of ECP to educate voters regarding the ballotting ? I think if ECP does not take action against the culprits, then every party would print forged papers and if caught, would comeup with an excuse that these were printed for the purpose of educating voters. Surely, there must have been a code of conduct regarding printing of such forged papers. Also, was ECP asked for prior permission in this regard. I don't think so.............. !
Or may be, the supporters of JI would say that even this is a conspiracy by PTI or other opposing parties !
God save us from these self serving mullahs !