NA-122 audit: 23,639 votes unsigned or unstamped, says report
Tribunal summons counsels for PML-N, PTI by Jan 17
Tribunal summons counsels for PML-N, PTI by Jan 17. PHOTO: MOHAMMAD NOMAN/EXPRESS
LAHORE:
An audit report of the NA-122 constituency revealed 519 discrepancies in the election record, including 23,639 unsigned or unstamped ballot papers and 3,642 invalid ones.
A local commission was appointed by the Election Tribunal to scrutinise the constituency. The tribunal summoned the local commission and counsels for both parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), by January 17 for arguments.
The commission, comprising retired additional district and sessions judge Ghulam Hussain Awan, submitted its inquiry report stretching over 40 pages before the Election Tribunal Lahore Judge Kazim Malik.
The commission said that it found 519 discrepancies from the both sides: the record of PTI chief Iman Khan showed that 275 counterfoils of his votes were without thumb impressions while 232 counterfoils found in the record of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were without thumb impressions.
It stated that 4,180 votes polled to other candidates who stood in the same constituency and 2,693 votes were without the stamps of the polling staff appointed by the election tribunal, 750 votes were found without the stamps of the presiding officer.
The report stated that a total of 180,115 votes were polled in the constituency NA-122 out of which 92,393 votes were bagged by Ayaz Sadiq and Imran Khan obtained 83,542 votes.
It said that 180,115 are verified votes out of which counterfoils of 23,639 votes were unsigned and unstamped.
The commission also found 15 polling bags with broken seals and 10 bags were sealed improperly. It stated that there are 204 polling stations in which a series of counterfoils and ballot papers did not match.
The form 15 was missing from 59 polling stations while form 14 was not found in the record of 69 polling stations. There are total 128 polling stations in which form 15 and 14 is missing, report added.
Advocate Asjad Saeed, the counsel of Ayaz Sadiq and Advocate Anees Hashmi counsel of the PTI chief both were present in the tribunal when the commission submitted its report.
During course of the hearing, counsel for Imran pointed out that the federal information minister earlier had announced his verdict of NA-122 election petition in a news conference.
On this, the tribunal remarked that both political parties should desist from carrying out a media trial of the said election petition.
The tribunal can send the election record to the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) for verification of thumb impressions if the commission’s report doesn’t satisfy the tribunal.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2015.
An audit report of the NA-122 constituency revealed 519 discrepancies in the election record, including 23,639 unsigned or unstamped ballot papers and 3,642 invalid ones.
A local commission was appointed by the Election Tribunal to scrutinise the constituency. The tribunal summoned the local commission and counsels for both parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), by January 17 for arguments.
The commission, comprising retired additional district and sessions judge Ghulam Hussain Awan, submitted its inquiry report stretching over 40 pages before the Election Tribunal Lahore Judge Kazim Malik.
The commission said that it found 519 discrepancies from the both sides: the record of PTI chief Iman Khan showed that 275 counterfoils of his votes were without thumb impressions while 232 counterfoils found in the record of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were without thumb impressions.
It stated that 4,180 votes polled to other candidates who stood in the same constituency and 2,693 votes were without the stamps of the polling staff appointed by the election tribunal, 750 votes were found without the stamps of the presiding officer.
The report stated that a total of 180,115 votes were polled in the constituency NA-122 out of which 92,393 votes were bagged by Ayaz Sadiq and Imran Khan obtained 83,542 votes.
It said that 180,115 are verified votes out of which counterfoils of 23,639 votes were unsigned and unstamped.
The commission also found 15 polling bags with broken seals and 10 bags were sealed improperly. It stated that there are 204 polling stations in which a series of counterfoils and ballot papers did not match.
The form 15 was missing from 59 polling stations while form 14 was not found in the record of 69 polling stations. There are total 128 polling stations in which form 15 and 14 is missing, report added.
Advocate Asjad Saeed, the counsel of Ayaz Sadiq and Advocate Anees Hashmi counsel of the PTI chief both were present in the tribunal when the commission submitted its report.
During course of the hearing, counsel for Imran pointed out that the federal information minister earlier had announced his verdict of NA-122 election petition in a news conference.
On this, the tribunal remarked that both political parties should desist from carrying out a media trial of the said election petition.
The tribunal can send the election record to the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) for verification of thumb impressions if the commission’s report doesn’t satisfy the tribunal.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2015.