Sukkur election tribunal: SHC suspends order for voters thumb impression verification

PPP’s Aijaz Ahmed Jakhrani had assailed the order passed by the Sukkur election tribunal for thumb print verification.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has suspended the election tribunal’s order to verify the thumb impressions of voters at the 69 polling stations in NA-208 Jacobabad-I till September 19.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s Aijaz Ahmed Jakhrani had assailed the order passed by the election tribunal located in Sukkur for thumb impression verification. He told the judges that he had won the May 11 general election on the seat by securing 51,025 votes, defeating the Pakistan Muslim League-N’s Illahi Bux Soomro, who secured 45,801 votes.

While none of the 17 contenders raised any questions on the election results, Soomro approached the election tribunal to seek verification of votes cast at 69 polling stations in the constituency, the petitioner stated.

The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the election body, without issuing prior notices to the winning candidate, had ordered a verification of the thumb impressions, which is a violation of the provisions of the Representation of the Peoples Act 1976. He pleaded the court set aside such order.

Justice Faisal Arab, who headed the bench, issued notices to the election tribunal, the election commission and others till September 19. The operation of the election tribunal’s order has been suspended till September 19.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2013.