May 11 elections: LHC stops NADRA from verifying votes cast in NA-118
Lahore High Court says that the issue is being heard by Supreme Court.
LHC stops NADRA from verifying votes cast in NA-118 constituency during the May 11 general elections. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court (LHC) stopped National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) from verifying thumb impressions of votes cast in NA-118 during the May 11 general elections, Express News reported on Wednesday.
The court said that the issue is being heard by the Supreme Court.
Background
On December 4, Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of LHC had asked the attorney general to assist on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Malik Riaz challenging an election tribunal’s decision to order the verification of votes cast in NA-118.
The petitioner had submitted that there was no provision in the law for votes to be verified as genuine through thumbprints.
He had also argued that it was impossible to verify all 150,000 votes cast at NA-118. He had said that the election tribunal’s order was illegal and should be declared as such by the LHC.
The tribunal had on November 18, on a plea by Hamid Zaman of the PTI, who was declared the runner up to Riaz at NA-118, directed NADRA to verify that the votes cast at NA-118 were genuine by examining the thumbprints on them.
NADRA chairman Tariq Malik was sacked on December 3 only days after the election tribunal asked NADRA to verify the thumb impressions of voters from the Lahore constituency NA-118, won by PML-N candidate Riaz.
Brig (retd) Zahid Hussain, NADRA’s Sindh director geenral, was given charge. However, within a few hours, Islamabad High Court (IHC) restored Tariq Malik.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) stopped National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) from verifying thumb impressions of votes cast in NA-118 during the May 11 general elections, Express News reported on Wednesday.
The court said that the issue is being heard by the Supreme Court.
Background
On December 4, Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of LHC had asked the attorney general to assist on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Malik Riaz challenging an election tribunal’s decision to order the verification of votes cast in NA-118.
The petitioner had submitted that there was no provision in the law for votes to be verified as genuine through thumbprints.
He had also argued that it was impossible to verify all 150,000 votes cast at NA-118. He had said that the election tribunal’s order was illegal and should be declared as such by the LHC.
The tribunal had on November 18, on a plea by Hamid Zaman of the PTI, who was declared the runner up to Riaz at NA-118, directed NADRA to verify that the votes cast at NA-118 were genuine by examining the thumbprints on them.
NADRA chairman Tariq Malik was sacked on December 3 only days after the election tribunal asked NADRA to verify the thumb impressions of voters from the Lahore constituency NA-118, won by PML-N candidate Riaz.
Brig (retd) Zahid Hussain, NADRA’s Sindh director geenral, was given charge. However, within a few hours, Islamabad High Court (IHC) restored Tariq Malik.