Sore losers?: Victories of MQM, PPP candidates challenged

The tribunal issued notice to Godil to file comments by October 29.

KARACHI:

The election tribunal issued on Monday notices to a legislator of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Abdul Rashid Godil, over a petition challenging the results of the National Assembly seat, NA-252, in Karachi.

The tribunal, headed by former Sindh High Court judge Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, issued notice to Godil to file comments by October 29. Godil had won the May 11 elections from this seat, defeating his rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Ali Haider Zaidi.

Zaidi has, however, challenged the results by filing an appeal with the election tribunal alleging that the polls were marred by rigging.

For his part, MNA Godil said that the election tribunal had received 450 petitions from all over the country but only the ones being received from Karachi are highlighted and entertained. He said that he had not received any notice from the election tribunal so far. If he receives the notice, he will adopt a legal way and have his lawyer fight the case.

On October 12, the tribunal had also issued notice to another MQM MNA, Dr Farooq Sattar, whose election from NA-249 constituency was challenged by Pakistan Peoples Party Abdul Aziz Memon. Recently, the National Database and Registration Authority had confirmed that bogus votes were cast in the NA-256 constituency from where MQM’s Ali Muhammad Iqbal had won.

Sharjeel Memon’s victory

Meanwhile, the same tribunal also fixed November 7 as the date of hearing for another election petition seeking voters’ thumb impression verification in PS-50, a seat won by PPP lawmaker Sharjeel Inam Memon.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional candidate Haji Khawar Ghulam, who had lost the Sindh assembly’s seat from Hyderabad to Memon, had sought verification of the voters thumb impression to verify alleged riggings.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2013.