Rejecting results: Cooking the ballot

Candidate across K-P, FATA reject poll outcomes and demand fresh elections, recount.

JUI-F protest against the PK-11 vote count

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers from PK-11 Urmar blocked the Grand Trunk (GT) Road Peshawar on Tuesday for hours to protest alleged rigging by the PTI candidate and demanded a vote recount.

Led by JUI-F Senator Ghulam Ali, the demonstrators carried placards blaming the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and PTI (winning) candidate Muhammad Ishtiaq for manipulating elections results.

“We contacted the court but were told matters related to the ECP should be filed with the commission,” said Khalid Waqar, the JUI-F candidate. Later Senator Ali filed an application against the election result with the ECP.

The protesters claimed the JUI-F was winning in the constituency according to the initial ballot count. However, they maintained, Ishtiaq who belongs to a powerful family flexed muscle and added 1,780 fake unsigned ballots.

Defeated candidates of PK-85, 86 Swat reject final results

Controversy surrounded the elections in PK-85 and PK-86 as losing candidates were convinced the final results were fixed.

JUI-F’s Advocate Ali Shah rejected the ECP’s official result for PK-86, which declared a win for PML-N’s Taimus Khan and demanded re-elections in the constituency.

“I received congratulations from relevant authorities for a high-margin victory and was shocked to learn in the morning about my ‘defeat’. I was leading by more than 800 votes but the result ‘changed’ late at night,” Shah told reporters.

“In some polling stations, our agents were not allowed to go inside and in some they were not shown ballot boxes before voting. In empty women’s stations, hundreds of votes were cast – an impossibility.”

ANP candidate Dr Haider Ali demanded a recount or else threatened to go the election tribunal. “Some of the polling stations were closed before 5pm while stations in our rivals’ area were kept open after the extended time.”

In PK-85 PML-N candidate Sharafat Ali Khan expressed reservations over the official result of the constituency which places ANP’s Jafar Shah as the victor. Sharafat accused the ANP for fixing the polls and has appealed for re-elections.

All Nowshera election results questioned

PML-N provincial vice-president Akhtiyar Wali Khan maintained his party’s workers had been assaulted and ballots manipulated in all national and provincial assembly seat elections in Nowshera.

“Our polling agents were tortured inside polling stations; police and other staff working for the PTI were allowed to do whatever they wanted on Saturday [May 11]. Aurat Foundation staff was seen convincing people to vote in favour of the PTI which is totally against the law,” he alleged.

Akhtiyar asserted PML-N voters were prevented from polling in the party’s favour.

He asked the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the Peshawar High Court Chief Justice to conduct fresh polls in Nowshera under the supervision of the Pakistan Army.

‘PK-98 was rigged’

Unsuccessful candidates for Malakand Protected Area-1 (PK-98) stated elections in the constituency were rigged at a combined press conference on Tuesday.

PTI candidate Yasir Khan, JI’s Maulana Jamaluddin, PML-N’s Isal Khan, ANP’s Shafiullah and independent candidate Jahangir Khan asked the ECP to take immediate notice of alleged vote manipulation in PK-98 by PPP candidate Mohammad Ali Shah Badshah.

Yasir Khan attributed Badshah’s win to his spending Rs60 million to buy votes and polling staff in PK-98.

Candidates asserted ballot papers at women’s stations had been stamped PPP prior to Election Day as the polling staff was recruited during the PPP government. The parties demanded the ECP to investigate the alleged rigging and hold re-elections in the constituency.

Women in Kurram Agency demand repolling

Tribal women from Upper Kurram Agency gathered at Shaheed Park demanding the ECP take note of rigging in NA-37 and allow re-elections.

Women and children from Shalozan, Jezan and outskirts of Parachinar gathered in front of the political agent’s office under a tent. They protested against former MNA Sajid Hussain Turi, alleging his supporters prevented them from voting.

When they came to vote, Turi’s men came inside and forced them to vote for the former MNA, accused the protestors. They further alleged Turi had paid these men for votes and the political agent, ECP and the Kurram Agency’s presiding officer were complicit.

According to the incensed women, a majority in the agency had voted for former Air Marshal (Retd) Qaiser Hussain Shah; not Turi.

Former MNA from Orakzai Agency blocks GT Road in protest

Former PPP MNA candidate for NA-39 Jawad Hussain Orakzai protested on GT Road against ‘rigged’ polls. Tribesmen went ahead and filed a case against him for blocking Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai Agency routes for six hours.

Hussain and his armed men proceeded to blocked GT Road near Kacha Pakha at approximately 6am. When tribal elders went to the former MNA to negotiate, he refused to let their vehicles through.

The elders gathered in front of the Kohat Commissioner Office demanding the routes be opened.

Hussain ended his protest only when the police reached the site. Traffic was allowed to pass after six hours.

A local journalist was assaulted, his camera and mobile phone snatched by Hussain’s supporters when he tried to report on the roadblock.

RO in NA-46 accused of favourtism

Haji Bismillah Khan, a candidate for NA-46 Khyber Agency, said on May 12 the returning officer (RO) announced re-elections in 21 polling stations in the constituency. However, on Tuesday there were reports the RO was altering results in favour of one candidate, he added.

Bismillah demanded the ECP to hold re-elections in the 21 stations and not under the current RO’s supervision.

‘Only JUI-F supporters’ cast votes in NA-42 SWA

In NA-42 South Waziristan, Maulana Jamaluddin of JUI-F leads the unofficial results which other candidates allege are fixed.

A letter was sent to the agency’s returning officer pointing out irregularities, mismanagement and rigging at polling stations at the Gomal University, DI Khan and Zam Public School Tank. It further demanded re-election.

PML-N candidate for the constituency, Dilawar Khan Mehsud told The Express Tribune the party now awaits cancellation of the result. If our demands are not fulfilled, we will protest till officials comply, stated Dilawar.

He alleged only people carrying JUI-F voter slips were allowed by the presiding officers to cast their ballot.

NA-40 NWA results changed in dead of night

JUI-F NWA candidate Pir Muhammad Aqal said the party had pre-informed relevant returning officers (RO) of expected rigging at several polling stations but no practical step had been taken.

Aqal was talking to journalists at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday. He said armed men sent by rival candidates occupied 11 polling stations and ROs were made to sign ballot papers in favour of those opponents.

“The residents of the NA-40 are on strike as the result was changed late night after polling ended; we were in the lead but results were changed in favour of the opponent candidate.”

Aqal Shah demanded the CEC take note of May 11 rigging and hold polls at these 11 stations under the supervision of the Pakistan Army.

PTI workers baton charged in Swabi

Local leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demand an inquiry into their activists being baton charged by the police in Shahmansoor, Swabi in the late hours of Monday.

Talking to journalists at the Swabi Press Club, PTI leaders said their activists had been protesting against the PK-36 Swabi-VI elections when the police used excessive force to disperse them.

According to PTI’s Sohail Khan, the winning candidate – Pakistan Muslim Leagie-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Shiraz Khan – was elected through unfair means.

Sohail explained PTI workers were holding a demonstration against this at Jehangira-Swabi Road, when at 10pm police contingents reached Shahmansoor and surrounded the protestors. The police baton charged the crowd, injuring seven workers and dragged several activists off the road.

Members of the PTI maintained the police also used tear gas against the demonstrators.

Izhar Khan, an official of the Swabi police, said PTI activists had blocked the road since 5pm; several policemen tried to negotiate reopening the thoroughfare as thousands of passengers were stranded.

After five hours of the road blockade, Izhar maintained the police tried to convince the protestors again to clear the passage. However, three from the crowd started abusing the police.

This led to a ‘light baton charge’ to disperse the protest. Izhar added two protestors Bakshullah and Manzoor Ahmad suffered from fractures as they fell off a tree. “An inquiry should be made to clear the matter,” he suggested.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.