PS-9 Shikarpur: SHC restrains ECP from announcing voter verification results

Petitioner Agha Siraj Durrani objects to the presiding officer of the tribunal.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court further restrained the election commission of Pakistan from announcing the results of thumb-impression verification, of the voters who cast votes in the 24 polling stations of PS-9 Shikarpur, till October 3.

The bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, also ordered issuing a notice through the district and sessions judge in Sukkur to Zulfiqar Ali Khan Kamario on whose application the verification was ordered.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani had taken the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Election Commission of Pakistan, Election Tribunal Sukkur and his rival candidate Zulfiqar Ali Khan Kamario to the court.

The petitioner said that he won the provincial assembly seat (PS-9) in Shikarpur by securing 32,993 votes in the general elections 2013, but Kamario, who lost the seat by 1,729 votes, challenged the results of the election before the Sukkur Election Tribunal.

Kamario had sought verification of thumb impressions of the votes cast at the 24 polling stations of constituency. The tribunal, on September 6, allowed his plea and ordered verification of votes.

The petitioner, however, objected to the presiding officer of the tribunal, retired district and sessions judge Zaheeruddin Leghari, saying that he was a follower of Pir Pagara, chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

Durrani said that he had requested to the ECP to transfer the application from Sukkur Tribunal but the election body dismissed the same.

On the last date of hearing, the bench had restrained the tribunal from proceeding with the application, and issued notice to Kamario, but he did not appear.

Taking up the matter on Friday, the bench extended the stay order. It also repeated notice to the respondent Zulfiqar Kamario for October 3, and ordered the same be served on him through DSJ Sukkur.