Election woes: LHC suspends vote recount in Nankana

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday suspended the election commission’s orders of a recount of votes in NA-137 (Nankana Sahib).

The order was passed on a petition by Pakistan Muslim League-  Nawaz  candidate Rai  Mansab  Ali  Khan,  who won  the  election  from  that constituency.

The defeated independent candidate, Ijaz Ahmad Shah, had obtained the order for a recount of votes from the election commission.

The petitioner submitted that the election commission lacked the authority to order a recount of votes as an election tribunal was the appropriate forum for such petitions.

He prayed to the court to dismiss the election commission’s order as illegal. The court suspended the order and sought a reply from the election commission by May 21.

The court also sought a reply from the election commission on a petition by Pakistan Muslim  League-Quaid  candidate  Muhammad  Shah Khagga, seeking a recount of votes in NA-164 (Pakpattan). Khagga had lost the election to PML-N candidate  Sardar Mansab Ali Dogar.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that the presiding officers in the constituency had declared  more than  6,000 votes  invalid. He said 2,298 votes separated Dogar and Khagga. He alleged that the votes  were  rejected  because they had been cast in his favour. He requested the court to order a recount of votes in the constituency, as the returning officer and the election commission had dismissed his appeal for a recount of votes.

The court issued a notice to the election commission for May 20.