PHOTO: ONLINE
As per Awan’s statement, recorded in front of Election Tribunal Lahore Judge Kazim Malik, counterfoils of 30,000 ballot papers were not signed, and ballot papers of different colours and sizes and ballot boxes with broken seals were included in the report.
Earlier, 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.
RELATED POST: NA-122 audit: 23,639 votes unsigned or unstamped, says report
A local commission was appointed by the election tribunal to scrutinise the constituency. The commission had 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.
Judge Kazim said if the findings of the report are true, he would inspect the NA-122 ballots and would take action against rigging in the constituency’s polling stations as per law.
The tribunal judge has summoned 150 witnesses on January 31.
COMMENTS (32)
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@F Khan: Are you completely insane? Irregularity here and there means one or two, five or ten... not across the board.
@Ali: at least tell me what is rigging, if you have an idea, we are totally indifefrent to your vote you are free to vote any one
@Ali: The report so far has also not disproved that pmln did not to any rigging. The investigation is ongoing, so no one has been given a clean chit yet.
You say such irregularities are common. Do you know that in 2008 a winning candidate was disqualified as counterfoils were found without signatures? Should that precedent not be followed?
Also a friend of mine was a polling agent in Lahore who caught the pmln polling agent trying to stuff prestamped votes for pmln in the bags. If you ask us to believe your friend, perhaps you will extend same courtesy to my friend.
One question troubles me. If pmln did not do any rigging, why did they keep running for stay orders. If I was innocent, I would say go ahead and open the bags, I have nothing to hide. Pmln did exact opposite.
My vote for F Khan for the next elections. I promise I will do full time rigging. Don't you worry!
I 100% agree with F Khan; and am surprised at the onslaught of comments against him which looks well-planned, and leads me to question ET's neutrality. The fact remains that no rigging by pmln has been proved; hence no substance in IK's accusations from the top of his container for months, causing loss to country and inconvenience to thousands. Such irregularities are common. A friend of mine, who was a returning officer in elections for Pindi, said he too did not sign ballot papers, nor any of other colleague he know, as they were not given any training. The actual validity of vote is determined by thumb impression and ID card no. So the fault, if at all any, lies with election commission or the caretaker government. This report has not proved that PMLN candidate has done anything illegal to snatch the mandate of PTI candidate. So please stop these baseless accasations, do some introspection of your blind follwoing of your leader, show moral courage and question IK for months of dharnas, use of indecent language against all politicians, and judges, attack on govt buildings, resorting to civil disobedience (which miserably failed) and so on, all for nothing,,yes, nothing. [hope this doesnt get censored by ET]
Most of the reports are against Ayaz Sadiq by the election commission then what is the definition of rigging in PML-N's stance and documents and how long PML-N will secure his Speaker NA and why???
@F Khan:
Unstamped and unsigned ballot papers are invalid. And there are over 23k of them. This can not happen by accident or by negligence. Broken seals is also not a co-incidence. The seals can not be broken by accident. It can only happen by design. Missing Form 14s and 15s, ballot papers of different colours all indicate massive rigging. Also the different types of irregularities indicate connivance of different individuals from ROs to the Punjab Govt. treasury who are holding the record. I do agree with you on one thing though. This is a regular practice and has been happening in our elections since forever. All the more reason to accept it and deal with it sternly.
@Anarchist: PTI is successful in camflouging the real issues, for example , you are missing two points ; 1- the so called fake votes were counted as they were having ID numbers etc.But if the same are not counted the margin of victory for the PM LN will increase. 2- It is PTI who is not agreeing to TOR for the commssion to investgigate PTI allegatiuons. They just want to make enough noises to force govt into submission or hoping for intewrference. They hAve 1977 SCNERIO IN FRONT OF THEM . bUT WHAT pti SUPPORTERS KNOW ABOUT THAT?
@F Khan: This is a typical status quo beneficiary statement. "A little here and a little there". Do you have a slight sense of the word "little" when 30,000 ballots are unsigned or in other words are not verified by the election team. 30,000 votes which are not signed can be a result of any thing and can change the overall result if put in favor of any of the candidate. I wonder what has happened to our english reading educated class who can't understand the gravity of the situation and yet cry over the current status of our country. Indeed our education system need reforms.
While irregularities have been detected, there is no evidence of one or the other candidate being favoured Asaf Ali Shah
Keep the nation busy nation should not be let free and sleep Elections, 're elections and re elections the right job till nation is professional Quid Azam ka farman Kam kam aur bus kam
@Karachi Wally: Please do not club India with Pakistan on any forum across the world. That's all we want.
@Imran: Hold your horses son. Tribunal is still investigating. Only thing busted so far is prevaiz Rashid claim that 23000 unverified votes were excluded from initial count.
Prevaiz rashid's credibility, like pmln claim of having the most experienced team, has been shredded into a million pieces.
@F Khan: Can you describe what is the probable evidence of "planned rigging" in your mind. If the statement of count does not properly prepared and authenticated, if serial numbers on ballet papers are different from the serial numbers on counterfoils of issued votes, if there are more votes than the registered votes, that can happen if there was an authority involved in rigging. After all it is the responsibility of the authority to make sure no adulteration happen. If authority slag in its responsibility it is rigging. People who turn their eyes away when it happened on their watch are accomplices, and treated as one in the courts of these session judges.
No one is claiming that people brought counterfeit votes from their homes, they are claiming that the proxy votes had been cast by agents of candidate, presiding officers slipped out ballet books to their patrons and turned a blind eye when they were stuffed. This is a planned rigging.
@F Khan: Seems to me that you're saying there has always been rigging, there always will be and we should change our selves and do nothing about it. People like you are the reason we keep say "yeh Pakistan hai, idher aisay hi chlata hai." Look at where we got with that lethargic attitude. It's time to wake up and demand justice. It will not be served to you in plates. The other option, of course is to get used to not having electricity, paying high taxes, corruption and staying on the bottom of human development lists.
Election and re Election and re Election and re Election this is the right solution Practise Makes The Man Perfect
@F Khan:
Preach something better, both Imran and Ayaz should to polls again and hear from people what they wanted and who they really wanted to elect. This is not that complicated.
Where in the world you see such shamelessness other than Indo-Pak. If elections are in doubt then Ayaz Sadiq should respectfully resign and hold a high moral ground. Go for re-elections no harm even if he loses, his political stature will increase.
@F Khan: dear, are you living in fool’s paradise, i considers you after having go through your comments that you have no idea of election process at all, i have very experience of working very close with whole election process. each and every ballot paper is duly signed and stamped by assistant presiding officer after being issued from presiding officer, then thumb impression is taken against picture and data of each voter on counterfoils, then there is color distinction which is peculiarity associated with each case, it is any circumstances not possible that more than 30k votes are without sign and stamp, and even with fringes of color within the same color, if we consider you right in first case, then why it is not going to be checked counterfoils which are cogent proof, the match ballot papers with serial number given by presiding officer in his from 14 and 15, he is bond to mention in forms like from....to serial number used then he is to mention serial number of left over ballot papers, and serial number of all ballot papers is mentioned like from,,,,,to while issuing the all ballot papers by returning officer, ballot papers without any stamp and sign dipict: ballot papers were added from outside, if ballot papers found from boxes were same the serial number issued but without stamp and sign it means fraud is systematic within he record, if all staff is involved in rigging with signed and stamped ballot papers could not be detected ostensibly even if rigged but could be with finger print verification, ballot papers appearing in two colors indicates that ballot papers have been printed from different sources.
Beyond any doubt and further to Aitzaz Ahsan 's white paper, 2013 Elections were a fraud and hence null and void. Parliament should be dissolved and fresh elections called under Army supervision. Period
PTI full time exposed, Imran Khan's lies of planned rigging by PMLN busted.
@F khan: You yourself are saying that it was rigged like previous elections. You have accepted rigging as a norm. Unfortunately for you, people do not accept rigging anymore is naya Pakistan.
@F Khan:
I have a very good idea what the F stands for in your name!
@F Khan: jsut to make more out of your shift, why are you distracting people from truth and preaching Rigging, Guys stop wasting time on these paid trolls
Unfortunately, a significant portion of society considers this as ' small irregularities' like F Khan eluded to, and not a major crime, which it actually is. It has to do with the entire culture of corruption in Pakistan and lack of education and perspective. In terms of impact, Free and Fair elections are the foundation of a change in direction, that our country needs. Otherwise we will have Monarchs, like we do now, who can hijack the elections and have the nerve to blame us for their incompetence.
@F Khan: 30000 unsigned counterfoils, 23639 unsigned or unstamped ballot papers is not within normal margin of error. I don't know how you can call this 'slight here and slight there'.
Also results of one results of one constituency does not prove or disprove systematic rigging. For that we need a bigger sample.
As a minimum this strengths the case for audit in other constituencies.
Now I understand why pmln were running to courts for stay orders. Pmln and their supporters will try to spin this, but facts are in front of everyone....
By the way, in 2008 elections a winning candidate was disqualified because upon challenge it was determined that votes counterfoils were not signed or stamped. It will be inexcusable if that precedent is not followed.
@F Khan: If previous elections were rigged, it does not mean future elections should be accepted even if rigged. Rigging is unacceptable, plain and simple.
@F Khan: Lets for a second assume that no rigging took place, which of course is not true. According to the commission's report, there are about 50 irregularities i.e. instances where the law and rules were not followed. This alone should be enough to render NA 122 election null and void. In any civilized country, the person in question would have resigned owing to so many irregularities.
Irregularities, even if considered different from rigging, dont take place on their own accord. What incentives did ROs and other administrative staff have to violate rules? They sure did not do all this on their own volition.
Also, look at the report by Aitzaz Ahsan, who belongs to the government allied PPP. If an inquisitorial judicial commission is formed that can audit 2013 elections, we will see whether there was organized rigging.
Last, if PML-N did not rig elections, then it should expose PTI by forming judicial commission. What is it afraid of?
The Govt has lost all credibility when the National Speaker is elected at best in controversial circumstances and at worst with blatant fraud. Its time for new elections.
PTI should get in touch with Aitizaz Ahsan of PPP-Z and use his new book ' Robbing an Election '......to help them.
This all sums up to one thing that there was no planned rigging in this constituency in particular or the last elections in general. There was no CEC-CJ-COAS-CM (Punjab) nexus as suggested by IK.It was a regular election like the previous ones with all the the kind of irregularities as it always happens in Pakistan, slight here and slight there,and they will continue to happens in the next elections as well. No loser in the history of Pakistan has ever accepted its defeat and all loser have always termed the elections as rigged. PTI and IK is trying to make a story out of nothing.