Snubbing allegations: MPA from Chitral denies rumours of assembly membership suspension

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa MPA from Chitral, Ghulam Muhammad on Saturday quashed reports claiming his assembly membership had been suspended, terming them rumours propagated by his opponents.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, Muhammad said, “The election tribunal has not ordered the suspension of my seat in the assembly, nor has it ordered a recounting in my constituency.”

Muhammad was elected MPA from PK-90 Chitral in the general elections which he contested on an All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) ticket, defeating Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Hussain by a narrow margin of seven votes.

Muhammad said his opponents requested the election tribunal to recount all the votes polled in PK-90, but the tribunal rejected the request.

“PPP candidate Sardar Hussain and certain other elements have been airing propaganda against me which has done considerable damage to my reputation and caused anxiety to me and my followers,” said Muhammad. “I have the right to sue them for compensation.”

On September 2, the election tribunal gave its decision stating there was no justification in ordering a recount in the entire constituency, according to Muhammad. A copy of the tribunal’s decision was also shared by the MPA on the occasion.

“As far as the rejected votes, postal ballot papers and three votes found in the ballot box for the National Assembly are concerned, these votes warrant examination, recounting in terms of Section 39 of the Act of 1976 read with Rule 26 of the ROPA (conduct of election) rules 1977,” stated the document.

Muhammad added a commission will be appointed in the presence of both APML and PPP on September 12 to execute the tribunal’s decision of probing the rejected votes in PK-90.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2013.