NA-122 constituency: Vote recount completes amid conflicting claims by rivals

PTI asks Ayaz Sadiq to prepare to resign; PML-N asks Imran to concede defeat

LAHORE:

Some 30,000 bogus votes were discovered along with an unspecified quantity of ballot papers for NA 124 following the inspection of 284 polling stations in the National Assembly constituency of NA 122, sources said.

According to them, there was no sign of forms 14 and 15 in 100 polling stations, records show. Most of the bags were unsealed while some votes had no stamps. As the inspection has been completed, the commission will send a report within four days to the tribunal, which will give a final verdict in the case.

Earlier, a local commission comprising former sessions judge Ghulam Hussain Awan had started inspection of polling bags of NA-122, the constituency where the incumbent National Assembly Speaker, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was declared successful. The overall count for the PML-N’s candidate has also fallen by 2,000 votes, sources said.

Representatives of both the PTI and PML-N parties were present on the occasion. On December 8, 2014, the election tribunal approved the petition of PTI chief Imran Khan for hearing and constituted a commission to probe into the alleged rigging of NA-122 where Ayaz Sadiq bagged 93,389 and Imran Khan 84,517 votes.

A petition was moved before the tribunal by the PTI chief in July 2013, alleging massive rigging in the said constituency. The total number of votes polled in NA-122, were 184,151 while in PP-147, these are 74,251 and 109,802 in PP-148.

PTI’s reaction

Reacting to the outcome of the inspection, PTI information secretary Shireen Mazari asked the NA speaker to ‘be prepared to tender his resignation’ on the aforementioned rigging. Moreover, the PTI leader representing the party’s chairman during the inspection, Shoaib Siddiqui, said no more evidence is required as proof of rigging, adding the tribunal was only mandated for investigating the polling record, while the PML-N is trying to convince itself of the outcome that only a recount of the votes was required.

PML-N calls for ‘accepting’ results

A spokesman for the Punjab government, S Zaeem Qadri, asked PTI chief Imran Khan “not to divert the nation’s attention from Operation Zarb-e-Azb”. Addressing a press conference with Speaker Ayaz Sadiq’s son Ali Ayaz in Lahore on Saturday, Qadri said 135 votes have been added up to the total votes gained by Ayaz Sadiq after the recount in NA 122.

He said Imran Khan should think about the larger national interest rather than bragging about four constituencies. He advised the PTI chief to accept the course of law.

“When the court rules in PTI’s favour, they accept it, otherwise they start slamming them which is deplorable,” he remarked. Ali Ayaz also urged Imran Khan to accept the tribunal’s outcome.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2015.