NA-122 report: NADRA report confirms no rigging took place, says Rashid

Information minister accuses PTI leaders of habitually telling lies and misleading the nation

GUJRANWALA/ ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE: Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Saturday the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in its report mentioned no rigging took place in NA-122 in the 2013 polls.

“PTI leaders are in the habit of telling lies and misleading the people. They should read NADRA’s report carefully as it clearly mentions no rigging took place,” he said in a statement. “Out of 18,000, only 500 votes, including duplicates, were found invalid while counter-foil issues were procedural irregularities,” he added.

PML-N MNA Daniyal Aziz, meanwhile, said the NADRA report had rejected PTI’s rigging allegations while validating his party’s stance. “According to the report, no used and unused counterfoils were found which had not been allocated to the constituency,” he told reporters.

“Imran Khan, during his 126-day sit-in, misled people by giving wrong statements that ballot bags of NA-122 were missing. All 270 bags are in custody of polling staff. Not one was missing,” he said.

Dr Ali Ayaz Sadiq, the son of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, called on the PTI chairman to resign for misleading the nation. “No counterfoils which had not been allocated to the constituency were found and allegations of duplicate files and others were also proved false,” he said. “Only 51 thumb impressions out of 184,000 voters who polled their votes in the constituency could not be verified.”

Sadiq called on Imran Khan to “refrain from damaging his image by telling lies as he remains hero of the country due to his services in cricket.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2015.