Election tribunal: Less than 50% votes verified in PS-33

NADRA submits its report saying that the thumb impression of voters on only 29,219 polled ballots were verified.

KARACHI: Less than half of the 65,000 votes cast in the provincial assembly constituency, PS-33 Khairpur, could be verified during the voters thumb impressions verification process, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) told an election tribunal on Wednesday.

Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jeelani had won the seat in the May 11 general elections last year.

His rival, Pakistan Muslim League - Functional’s Pir Syed Mashooq Ali Shah Jeelani had sought a verification. In compliance of the tribunal’s order, NADRA verified more than 65,000 votes polled at 81 polling stations in the constituency.

On Wednesday, NADRA submitted its report and said that the thumb impression of the voters on only 29,219 polled ballots could be verified. The report further revealed that the thumb impressions on 12,818 votes did not match the voters.

The tribunal headed by former Justice Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani directed the petitioner and the respondent to file their objections by March 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2014.