Vote Verification: SC to hear petition challenging PML-N bigwig seats today
NA Speaker, railways and defence ministers’ constituencies named.
File photo of a woman casting a vote. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
Led by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear today (Monday) a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking the verification of thumb impressions of votes in four key constituencies secured by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders in the general elections on May 11.
Headed by the recently appointed CJ Jillani, the bench comprises Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan. Among other petitions, the bench has included the petition seeking vote verification in constituencies that have paramount importance for the PML-N as most of the party’s key members emerged victorious in these electorates to become important office holders in the corridors of power.
PTI leader and senior Supreme Court lawyer Hamid Khan will represent the party, which claims it was ‘erroneously’ defeated by PML-N leader and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq in NA-125. The PTI chairman had filed a petition in June in the Supreme Court seeking the verification of thumb impressions in NA-110 Sialkot, NA-122 Lahore, NA-125 Lahore and NA-154 in Lodhran.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was elected on NA-122 when he defeated PTI chief Imran Khan; Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had won from NA-110; Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique defeated PTI’s Hamid Khan in NA-125 and Sadiq Baloch outvoted PTI’s Secretary General Jahangir Tareen in NA-154.
“Our stance is that there were massive fake votes in the May 11 elections and we have chosen these four constituencies for verification of thumb impressions as a test case,” said the PTI counsel. He said that his party will decide which other constituencies it has to challenge after the court’s decision on this petition. “We were raising the issue of bogus votes from day one and now the interior minister himself admitted that there are 60,000 to 70,000 bogus votes in every constituency. These should be verified,” he maintained.
On December 9, the top court admitted miscellaneous petitions seeking the verification of thumb impressions in four constituencies for preliminary hearing after Imran’s attorney Hamid Khan shot down objections raised by the Supreme Court registrar against his client’s petition. The petition filed by Imran on June 8 was returned by the registrar office and the petitioner was asked to approach another forum for this purpose.
The development had come after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan invited the parliamentary leaders of all political parties for a brainstorming session on the vote fraud controversy.
Led by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear today (Monday) a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking the verification of thumb impressions of votes in four key constituencies secured by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders in the general elections on May 11.
Headed by the recently appointed CJ Jillani, the bench comprises Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan. Among other petitions, the bench has included the petition seeking vote verification in constituencies that have paramount importance for the PML-N as most of the party’s key members emerged victorious in these electorates to become important office holders in the corridors of power.
PTI leader and senior Supreme Court lawyer Hamid Khan will represent the party, which claims it was ‘erroneously’ defeated by PML-N leader and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq in NA-125. The PTI chairman had filed a petition in June in the Supreme Court seeking the verification of thumb impressions in NA-110 Sialkot, NA-122 Lahore, NA-125 Lahore and NA-154 in Lodhran.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was elected on NA-122 when he defeated PTI chief Imran Khan; Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had won from NA-110; Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique defeated PTI’s Hamid Khan in NA-125 and Sadiq Baloch outvoted PTI’s Secretary General Jahangir Tareen in NA-154.
“Our stance is that there were massive fake votes in the May 11 elections and we have chosen these four constituencies for verification of thumb impressions as a test case,” said the PTI counsel. He said that his party will decide which other constituencies it has to challenge after the court’s decision on this petition. “We were raising the issue of bogus votes from day one and now the interior minister himself admitted that there are 60,000 to 70,000 bogus votes in every constituency. These should be verified,” he maintained.
On December 9, the top court admitted miscellaneous petitions seeking the verification of thumb impressions in four constituencies for preliminary hearing after Imran’s attorney Hamid Khan shot down objections raised by the Supreme Court registrar against his client’s petition. The petition filed by Imran on June 8 was returned by the registrar office and the petitioner was asked to approach another forum for this purpose.
The development had come after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan invited the parliamentary leaders of all political parties for a brainstorming session on the vote fraud controversy.
The same bench of the apex court will also hear the cases about Manchar Lake water pollution, EOBI corruption and the appointment of the federal ombudsmen.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2013