Victory of sorts: PTI’s plea for thumbprint verification accepted
Orders NADRA to verify votes cast at NA-122, PA-147
Orders NADRA to verify votes cast at NA-122, PA-147. STOCK IMAGE
LAHORE:
An election tribunal on Wednesday ordered the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to verify thumb impressions on counterfoils of votes cast during the May 2013 elections at NA-122 and PP-147.
The single judge tribunal, headed by Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik, issued this order after it accepted two applications filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
PTI chief Imran Khan had approached the tribunal, alleging that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidates, including the incumbent National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, had resorted to rigging during the May 2013 polls. Imran Khan had lost NA-122 seat to Sadiq in the elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will send polling bags of the 284 polling stations of NA-122 and the 117 polling stations of PP-147 to NADRA for verification of thumb impression. NADRA has already verified six polling bags of PP-147.
In previous proceedings, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had submitted his reply to PTI’s application, contending that the plea amounted to nothing but a waste of time.
Earlier, PTI’s counsel Anees Ali Hashim told the tribunal that there were some polling stations where packing invoices were issued twice and the serial numbers on the packing invoices did not match with ECP’s Form 15.
“A large number of Form 15 have no serial numbers,” he said, claiming that the actual record of the constituency had been wasted. “Under such circumstances the status of ballot papers issued in polling stations is doubtful,” he said as he requested the court to pass an order for verification of thumb impression.
Sadiq’s counsels, Advocates Khawaja Saeed-u-Zafar and Barrister Asjad Saeed, contended that the application submitted by the PTI is not maintainable. There is no provision in any law, allowing an application seeking verification of thumb impression, they argued.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2015.
An election tribunal on Wednesday ordered the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to verify thumb impressions on counterfoils of votes cast during the May 2013 elections at NA-122 and PP-147.
The single judge tribunal, headed by Justice (retd) Kazim Ali Malik, issued this order after it accepted two applications filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
PTI chief Imran Khan had approached the tribunal, alleging that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidates, including the incumbent National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, had resorted to rigging during the May 2013 polls. Imran Khan had lost NA-122 seat to Sadiq in the elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will send polling bags of the 284 polling stations of NA-122 and the 117 polling stations of PP-147 to NADRA for verification of thumb impression. NADRA has already verified six polling bags of PP-147.
In previous proceedings, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had submitted his reply to PTI’s application, contending that the plea amounted to nothing but a waste of time.
Earlier, PTI’s counsel Anees Ali Hashim told the tribunal that there were some polling stations where packing invoices were issued twice and the serial numbers on the packing invoices did not match with ECP’s Form 15.
“A large number of Form 15 have no serial numbers,” he said, claiming that the actual record of the constituency had been wasted. “Under such circumstances the status of ballot papers issued in polling stations is doubtful,” he said as he requested the court to pass an order for verification of thumb impression.
Sadiq’s counsels, Advocates Khawaja Saeed-u-Zafar and Barrister Asjad Saeed, contended that the application submitted by the PTI is not maintainable. There is no provision in any law, allowing an application seeking verification of thumb impression, they argued.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2015.