The election tribunal for NA-122 (Lahore-V) is waiting for a safe place for the inspection of the records of the 2013 balloting in this constituency after the district returning officer (RO) denied a request for space inside the district and sessions court premises, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The tribunal has now asked the Lahore High Court (LHC) registrar for a safe place for inspecting the NA-122 poll records, saying that it cannot force the RO to provide a place inside the court premises, sources said.
According to them, the RO denied the tribunal’s request on grounds that the inspection of poll records could lead to an untoward incident inside the court premises. He pointed out a scuffle between supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz inside the court premises a few days back, sources added.
The election tribunal also issued a detailed verdict on Wednesday, observing that around 10 policemen would be needed to provide 24-hour security to ensure the poll record was not tampered with before or during inspection.
The tribunal’s judgement comes after around a year and half of proceedings. The case, which was taken up on PTI chairman Imran Khan’s plea, was inordinately delayed after PML-N MNA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who won the NA-122 seat, obtained a stay order from the LHC. The LHC dismissed Sadiq’s plea on November 20, allowing the tribunal to finally proceed with the case.
Accepting Imran’s plea, the tribunal judge, Kazim Ali Malik, also constituted a one-man commission comprising former additional district and sessions judge Ghulam Hussain Awan to carry out the inspection. The commission will submit an audit report to the tribunal after examining the NA-122 poll records. Awan has also been asked to look into the 54 ballot bags from PP-147 which went missing.
Among the various tasks it will carry out as part of the inspection, the commission will check the result provided by the RO against the number of polled votes inside the bags. The ballot papers will be verified against their respective counterfoils.
The commission is likely to submit its report within next two or three weeks.
After receiving the report, the election tribunal can direct the National Database and Registration Authority to verify the thumb impressions of voters on the ballots and check the validity of a vote against the voters list for the constituency.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2014.
COMMENTS (25)
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I never underastand why the pakistani court giving stay by stay without any reason mean who in power can do what he want right????????
I never underastand why the pakistani giving stay by stay no any without any reason mean who in power can do what he want right????????
@Ms. Khan: i support your point. In one instance in India, the entire police force, election staff, was replaced with another team. The original team was kept in guest house , well fed/drinks provided. Then replaced while going back at 7 pm. This happened in a taluka in Bihar, in 1980;s. It was found out that no of votes polled exceed population, This was before, live tv, cctv, checking squads, independant TV as of today,
appointing a cec with retired justice is itself ball tampering after the match. playing with the law. There is no practice in pakistan to appoint civil administrators, retired police chief like IG, DSP, they can protect the votes in initial stage itself. After one and half year with ballots missing, can any one expect any fair result. There is no practice of CCTV inside booth, armed goondas capture polling stations , similar to india 10 years back. some 20 years back in India , some chaudhary used to go to polling stations and shout, chaudhary nahi jeetega to ghar jal jayengey, This practice was there in Punjab, UP, Haryana It has come down with CCTV, news TV, live telecasts , opinion polls, surveys. There is need for reform, i think nobody in Pakistan wants same.
I really wonder why this process has been kept so slow. Mr. Ayaz Sadiq has been hiding behind stay order for more than one year. Ironically, with a disputed seat, he has been working as Speaker National Assembly. I simply say, why government and the election tribunal is not coming on front foot to resolve the rigging issue. This time gaining behaviour is clearly show them guilty. if they won on merit then what’s the problem…. Be brave Ayaz Sadiq and go for an election audit at least for your own constituency…..
Gullu League thugs will not let that happen in an honest and fair manner that's for sure
I think the winning margin for Ayaz was 7000 or 8000? And if 54 bags are missing, they could easily contain more votes lost then the winning margin. How are we ever going to get an accurate count?
This is only going to end badly for PMLN.
I would not be surprised if the bags got burnt...or eaten by rats.....or simply opened stuffed and resealed.......anything is possible in such an environment.
Where are al the Naan Leaue trolls?
What a farce! 1.5 year to open one ballot box! another 1.5 years under stay order! another 1.5 years before you can get a decision! Tahir ul Qadri was right when he was shouting before elections to fix this mess otherwise you will waste another five years accusing each other and achieve nothing... This is quite systematic rigging, it covers it's back like a perfect crime story because the accused are partners with the investigators... Hamam mey saray hee nangay hain! The country needs a an overhaul and the only way to do that is bring about a controlled / calculated revolution that at least ousts the current regime... PTI & PAT have infiltrated the masses and now they need to infiltrate the institutions... status quo have their guardians in Judiciary and in the Army.... the only two institutes that can play an integral role in demolishing this current setup of self deluded status quo! The only two anti status Quo symbols in PAK are PAT & PTI!!!! and they are quite cleverly being kept apart from each other and until all anti-status quo forces can unite thee will be no force to jolt this system! while TUQ has the force to jolt it, it is only with an alliance that this jolt can be converted into a demolition! for that he needs IK... while IK is losing ground having lost the battle in parliament and now apparently losing the battle on the streets... he continues to lose the ground he had gained in 2013 elections... both know they cannot sustain their force without each other.
Classic cat and mouse game proceeding. If N.league has not rigged the elections then why they fear a re count? Their fear n hurdles they putting in a transparent investigation into 2013 elections prove that they r culprits. Now if IK can't get justice here How can a common man??? Shame on judiciary n top judges for supporting corruption n rigging....I wonder how can result of 122 re count be transparent wen investigators r culprits?????
in addition to counting , NADRA verification should also be done once in for all .
I really wonder why this process has been kept so slow. Mr. Ayaz Sadiq has been hiding behind stay order for more than one year. Ironically, with a disputed seat, he has been working as Speaker National Assembly. I simply say, why government and the election tribunal is not coming on front foot to resolve the rigging issue. This time gaining behaviour is clearly show them guilty. if they won on merit then what's the problem.... Be brave Ayaz Sadiq and go for an election audit at least for your own constituency.....
i think if ayaz sadiq is fine then he should not have obtained a stay order by the court.
Truth must come out. No point is delaying by stay-orders.
10 policemen? to secure the place?
do you pay the policemen enough wages that they won't get sold?
if someone brides them money enough to cover their year's salary, would they still "secure" the place and votes?
the idea behind involving media is right!
inspection and verification should be done on live coverage TV in presents of authorized media people. The elected DANDHLI MP will apply all tricks to say this cannot be verified or any other trick. Nawaz team will wont to stab list that the candidate correctly elected.
So this all in known as Democracy in Pakistan..Speaker of the national assembly creating hurdles in the justice..they will try every thing till the last minute to influence this investigation of 122, you never know how low then can go to hold on to there thrones..
Sharifs will use all ill means to have verdict which favours them. The counting must be observed by the Army.
so there's no safe place in Pakistan to raise curtain on PML-N's corruption?
The process of recounting should be totally transparent and media accessible.
The recounting and verification must be done on front of Pakistan Media
They should now get this done through the same RO who was responsible for the rigging in the first place LOL
Create hurdles till last moment. But keep in mind Khan is not going to spare you. He is a fighter.