PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Ayla Malik, along with their counsel Babar Awan, talk to media outside the ECP office in Islamabad. PHOTO: INP
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to declare by-elections in NA-71 Mianwali null and void, accusing the federal and Punjab governments of committing vote fraud in the constituency.
PTI’s deputy parliamentary leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Ayla Malik on Tuesday submitted evidence of alleged rigging and filed a petition in the ECP.
“The ECP should call upon inspection of record including ballot papers of by-elections besides getting the voters’ thumb impressions verified by NADRA,” stated the PTI petition. As evidence, the PTI submitted video recordings of alleged ballot snatching and bogus voting at different polling stations.
In their petition, the PTI maintained that the provincial government officials, ministers and members of provincial and the National Assembly used the local administration in Mianwali to rig the by-polls in favour of the PML-N candidate.
“More than 80 polling staff members were suddenly changed unlawfully at various polling stations without informing other contesting candidates,” read the PTI petition.
Moreover, the PTI has accused Ali Haider Noor, a losing PML-N MPA from PP-45, of resorting to gross rigging and forceful snatching of ballot papers.
Noor, accompanied by gunmen, kicked out polling agents of PTI candidates and stuffed thousands of bogus votes particularly at polling station 80, the petitioner maintained. The voter turnout rose to 72 per cent at the polling station while in general elections it was 54 percent, the petitioner alleged.
In its petition, the PTI has also nominated the returning officer (RO) from NA-71 as one of the respondents, accusing him of favouring the PML-N candidate. They alleged that the RO altered the results of the by-polls and declared Shadikhel victorious over PTI’s candidate who was initially in the lead. PTI further complained that its actual candidate for NA-71 Ayla Malik was forcefully kept out of the race by using Rawalpindi Board of Education that raised objections to her degree.
An ECP official said the commission would examine the PTI petition and the evidence submitted with it before deciding the further course of action. If the commission, after examining evidence, is convinced that election rules were violated, it would send the case to the election tribunal.
“And in case the evidence is overwhelming and suggests that government machinery was used to rig elections, only then the ECP may order re-poll,” the ECP official added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2013.
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Likewise, in KP also there are strong evidences of 100%, and in some cases more, turn-out of the voters in areas like Peshawar & Swabi where PTI won a landslide victory. Army officers went to polling stations, took all staff out, pretending that they were doing inspection, and then the result was 100% polls turnout & victory for PTI. The loss of NA1 later proves that there were systemetic rigging of the election in favour of PTI.