Jehangir Khan Tareen and Shireen Mazari were present from PTI during the press conference. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jehangir Khan Tareen talking at the Central Secretariat, demanded a recount of votes in 25 constituencies of the National Assembly, including NA-154 on the basis of thumb impression’s audit.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, he held the Returning Officers responsible for the alleged rigging and misappropriations that took place during the general elections. He attacked the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision of the complainant bearing the recount expenses, calling it unfair.
To support his argument, Tareen presented an overview of accounts that reported misappropriations at the hands of the electoral staff and urged ECP to refurnish results in several constituencies including his home constituency, NA-154 Lodhran.
“My application for recount had been kept pending for three days after 14 May while my access to the record had also been denied by the election officials,” he said, while presenting his side of records to those present.
He said that out of 220 bags, the seals on 170 polling bags was broken while counter foils of around 26500 ballot papers were without the signatures and seals of Assistant Presiding Officers.
“Marked electoral rolls from five polling stations were missing while 934 unused ballot papers were also absent from the record," he added.
Despite all the evidences of rigging, he hoped he would win the race once recounting is completed.
PTI’s Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari, present at the press conference, questioned the ECP on it's decision to charge candidates for a thumb impression's audit.
“Charging ten or fifteen rupees per vote from the aggrieved candidate who asks for a thumb impression’s audit due to apprehensions about rigging or misappropriation in the polls is completely unfair,” she said.
“It will also deny justice to the voters."
COMMENTS (43)
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Stop Weeping, PTI guys. Shireen Mazari please leave this party as your capacity and ability is much higher than PTI. We liked you as neutral analyst.
@Daani Candiates as well as presiding officers involved in rigging to be sent to jail.If no action is taken than rigging would increase many fold in the forth comming local bodies election.Proper voters thum varification is a must to restore public confidence on our Election Commission.
@Nazish:
People have a right to protest if they see strong evidences of iregularities being done to their candidate in the election.
@Auntyjee:
Lets not get personal.
@Ricky: What are you talking about.If any party has any doubt that PTI candidate used unfair means to win the election we are ready for thump varification.
Why not a recount?When ECP is incompetent & the polls rigged massively.
When will these PTI cry-babies stop proclaiming that they are the victims of rigging? For God's sake stop this nonsense. You guys are not going to get all the seats in National Assembly. If there is any award for using foul language and crying, please someone give them that. They deserve it more than anyone else.
Tareen is political "La Waris" He can never win election.
I voted for PML-N alongwith all my 70 class fellows. We all are proud of it. No hopes from PTI. They just make noise. It is a fact that only electables of PTI from Punjab won the elections who joined PTI after leaving other big parties. So where is change. Same old faces (Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Javed Hashmi, Shafqat Mehmood, Rai Hassan Nawaz etc.) won the elections in Punjab on the ticket of PTI. Where is change? Imran is just fooling the nation.
@QB: According to independent agencies who were vigilating the election voting, rigging took place in less than 1% of the polling stations... PTI has been given benefit of the doubt in Karachi with revoting, indeed winning their seats arguably as the turnout was very low additionally, participation was boycotted by the leading parties of the city. Enough of crying over sour grapes, the nation requires heroic work to put it on the right path which is what I Khan was electioneering about. Not anarchy in the streets and whatnots please!!!
No rigging is done in Punjab. However massive rigging is done in Karachi. There were quite fair and transparent elections in Punjab.
why she joined back Imran?
PTI should wait for 5 years. They lost the elections due to un-ethical and abusive language of Imran Khan. Imran should learn the ethics of communication.
No use of creating agitation. PTI did not do adequate preparation for the elections in Punjab. They were short of electables in Punjab. PML-N was well prepared. PTI should accept the defeat.
@ Daani,
The reason we are in such a mess is because we don't stand up to the wrongs. Is accepting rigging in elections a sign of sportsman spirit? No my friend, it is actually criminal to to stay silent when the public mandate is being stolen so openly. You can easily see that the older parties like PML-N; PPP; MQM; and ANP would accept the results easily, because to them rigging is part of the game. Not for PTI. Someone has to stand up to this pathetic show of stealing the mandate. Who better then PTI?
No one has ever accepted defeat in Pakistan. Same is being done by PTI. So where is the change?
If every political party will start asking recounting of the votes than what next Government is going to in the next five years for the poor people of Pakistan?
Very tiring to see politicians crying over spilt milk as such. Why not dedicate their time instead to constructive work that is badly needed in KPK. The manifesto ought to be implemented, the sooner the better, and requires all the energy, concentration and 24/7........
@Rabia, Auntyjee and ET..............It is in-descent to ridicule a lady the way you have. ET should also explain how do these remarks fit into their specified code?This clearly shows ET,s bias towards PTI,hence totally undesirable being devoid of normal ethics.
@LOK: According to your logic, if you get rear-ended while driving due to someone else's fault, you should just accept it as 'fair'. It's because of the dishonesty of the returning officers and incompetence of the ECP that these problems have arisen. NOT the fault of the wronged, and they should not have to pay.
Love the hair Of Miss. Mazari. Maximum likes for her.
I think it is unfair to ask complainant to pay for flawed electoral processes. ECP is transferring the cost of its mistakes. But I also think that there should be some control around it, otherwise we can end up re-opening every other seat based on rigging allegations. Something like a chargeback model might be a good idea.
@Nadir: "Not paying taxes and then demanding a first world government service is also unfair."
And let's not forget that Jehangir Tareen is one of the highest tax paying politician and PTI is the only party whose major electoral plank was aggressive taxation reform.
@Rabia: haha, great observation, could not have possibly spotted it myself without anyone mentioning...
these are the so called educated they dont even have the decency to lose shame
If any proof of fraud surface, Re election should be called for entire Pakistan.
Funny how politics can bring together people cursing each other a few months ago
Please do finger print verification of all constituencies in Karachi please
I think ECP should have annouced the recount decision to pay well before the conduct of general elections so that every candidate should have known. It seems that ECP did not have much of a time to calculate, forsee and manage all the descripencies that could arise after the elections. Media Gorrus also fail to point out the nity grity after effects of elections which may put all the efforts of ECP in dought
whats going on with mazaris hair?
“Charging ten or fifteen rupees per vote from the aggrieved candidate who asks for a thumb impression’s audit due to apprehensions about rigging or misappropriation in the polls is completely unfair,”
Oh I think it is completely fair. Troublemakers should be made to pay!
I second ECP's step to claim fee: candidates or political parties should pay for NADRA verification or recounting. ECP already spent billions on elections. Taxpayers moneys can not be used for their political stunts. In fact, ECP should also claim full or partial reimbursements from candidates who win on two or more seats; so that the money can be used for by-elections.
is Shireen Mazari's hair really dyed that funky purple/green colour...
Not paying taxes and then demanding a first world government service is also unfair.
The ECP is making a mockery out of everything. Why should a candidate pay when the candidate can surface evidence of rigging?
Very fair demands. Especially when ECP is being presented with solid evidence of rigging!
Its completely fair to charge the complainant for recount, this will make sure that only those who have genuine cases will apply. If PTI is dead sure about these 25seats they shouldn't have any problem in paying, after all they spent the most in election campaign, im sure they have spare finance.
It's absolutely fair. You are the one doubting elections result and asking for recount, must pay for it. What I would say is that if result is completely changed after the recount then EC should take the hit and return the money to the candidate. Fair?
If in the recount rigging is proved then the money should be refunded and the election officer should be fined.
Finger impression verification should be mandatory and the result of those verification should be made public, without hiding anything, for the sake of our future generations.