Poll rigging: PTI’s Haripur MNA suspended

Election tribunal orders re-election on seven polling stations of NA-19.

ABBOTABAD: The Election Tribunal Abbottabad suspended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA Dr Raja Amir Zaman’s assembly membership on charges of rigging on Tuesday and ordered re-elections on seven polling stations of NA-19 Haripur.

Dr Zaman defeated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Gohar Ayub in the general elections, who later challenged the results. Dr Zaman emerged as the winner after the recount on all 437 stations of the constituency.

Ayub, however, moved the Supreme Court and sought a re-election. According to his petition, several polling bags did not have relevant voters list or counterfoils of ballot papers; indicative of rigging.

The apex court referred the case to the election tribunal which then suspended Dr Zaman’s membership and ordered a re-election on polling stations Alloli, Mamrial, Bagra Number 2, Kalinjar, Ghazi Hamlet and two polling stations of Khalabat Township.

Dr Zaman had defeated Ayub from these polling stations with a heavy margin.

The tribunal headed by Ziauddin Khattak also dismissed a petition filed by Shahid Amin Khan, a former union nazim, who sought Dr Zaman’s disqualification on the basis of concealment of assets and non-payment of taxes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2014.

Correction: Due to an editing error, Gohar Ayub's name was written incorrectly. The error has been fixed.