NA-122 report: NADRA verifies less than 40% votes
Authority could not verify 93,852 fingerprints on counterfoils of electoral rolls due to substandard ink
Authority could not verify 93,852 fingerprints on counterfoils of electoral rolls due to substandard ink. PHOTO: AFP
LAHORE:
Only 73,478 of the total 184,151 votes cast in NA-122 (Lahore-V) during the 2013 general elections could be verified, according to a forensic report submitted by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to an election tribunal on Saturday.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the incumbent speaker of the National Assembly, had defeated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the constituency.
The election tribunal shared copies of the NADRA report with the counsels for the PML-N and the PTI. The tribunal has also summoned NADRA’s chairman and deputy director on May 16, when they will be cross-examined by the lawyers of both the parties.
NADRA claimed in its report that only 73,478 votes could be authenticated by the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which means that less than 40 per cent fingerprints on the counterfoils of the electoral rolls matched with NADRA’s fingerprint data of registered voters.
NADRA could not process 93,852 counterfoils through the AFIS because of poor quality of fingerprints. However, the computerised national identity card (CNIC) numbers on the counterfoils were valid.
Of the counterfoils with thumb impressions that did not match with the thumb impressions on the electoral rolls, NADRA could process 48,401 impressions on both the electoral rolls and their corresponding counterfoils.
There were 6,123 counterfoils with invalid CNIC numbers. Another 2,862 could not be checked through the NADRA database because of missing or extra digits and 3,440 had illegible CNIC numbers.
As many as 370 counterfoils did not bear any CNIC number, while 255 CNIC numbers were mentioned twice on the counterfoils and one was written down thrice. Five hundred and seventy CNIC numbers were not registered in NA-122. There were also 1,715 counterfoils that had no fingerprints on them.
According to the NADRA report, every item – including the statement of count, counterfoils and photo electoral rolls – were scanned and uploaded to a database to preserve the election material in electronic form. The operation was carried out using auto-feed high-speed scanners at the desired image quality of 400dpi.
Next, fingerprints and thumb impressions were forwarded to the AFIS, which has the capability to accurately compare and match fingerprints and thumb impression to verify their authenticity.
Claims, counterclaims
PTI’s counsel Advocate Anees Ali Hashmi told the media that the PML-N was ‘going to lose its second wicket’. “If the elections were conducted honestly, then why most of the votes couldn’t be verified?” he asked.
In response to PTI’s statements, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s son Dr Sardar Ali Ayaz Sadiq said the PTI chief was misleading the nation. “Not a single vote could be proved as invalid. Rigging could not be proved in the constituency.”
Sardar Ali said Imran Khan should refrain from damaging his credibility. “He should resign on his party’s performance in the local government elections and his stance during ‘container politics’. He should also resign for pressurising Justice (retd) Wajihuddin and over the PTI tribunal’s report on intra-party elections.”
PML-N’s counsel Barrister Asjad Saeed told The Express Tribune that NADRA’s report was based on comparison with the authority’s CNIC records rather than verification in the light of the Supreme Court’s 1999 judgment. Saeed said the election of the returning candidate could not be declared null and void because of negligence of the polling staff.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2015.
Only 73,478 of the total 184,151 votes cast in NA-122 (Lahore-V) during the 2013 general elections could be verified, according to a forensic report submitted by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to an election tribunal on Saturday.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the incumbent speaker of the National Assembly, had defeated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the constituency.
The election tribunal shared copies of the NADRA report with the counsels for the PML-N and the PTI. The tribunal has also summoned NADRA’s chairman and deputy director on May 16, when they will be cross-examined by the lawyers of both the parties.
NADRA claimed in its report that only 73,478 votes could be authenticated by the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which means that less than 40 per cent fingerprints on the counterfoils of the electoral rolls matched with NADRA’s fingerprint data of registered voters.
NADRA could not process 93,852 counterfoils through the AFIS because of poor quality of fingerprints. However, the computerised national identity card (CNIC) numbers on the counterfoils were valid.
Of the counterfoils with thumb impressions that did not match with the thumb impressions on the electoral rolls, NADRA could process 48,401 impressions on both the electoral rolls and their corresponding counterfoils.
There were 6,123 counterfoils with invalid CNIC numbers. Another 2,862 could not be checked through the NADRA database because of missing or extra digits and 3,440 had illegible CNIC numbers.
As many as 370 counterfoils did not bear any CNIC number, while 255 CNIC numbers were mentioned twice on the counterfoils and one was written down thrice. Five hundred and seventy CNIC numbers were not registered in NA-122. There were also 1,715 counterfoils that had no fingerprints on them.
According to the NADRA report, every item – including the statement of count, counterfoils and photo electoral rolls – were scanned and uploaded to a database to preserve the election material in electronic form. The operation was carried out using auto-feed high-speed scanners at the desired image quality of 400dpi.
Next, fingerprints and thumb impressions were forwarded to the AFIS, which has the capability to accurately compare and match fingerprints and thumb impression to verify their authenticity.
Claims, counterclaims
PTI’s counsel Advocate Anees Ali Hashmi told the media that the PML-N was ‘going to lose its second wicket’. “If the elections were conducted honestly, then why most of the votes couldn’t be verified?” he asked.
In response to PTI’s statements, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s son Dr Sardar Ali Ayaz Sadiq said the PTI chief was misleading the nation. “Not a single vote could be proved as invalid. Rigging could not be proved in the constituency.”
Sardar Ali said Imran Khan should refrain from damaging his credibility. “He should resign on his party’s performance in the local government elections and his stance during ‘container politics’. He should also resign for pressurising Justice (retd) Wajihuddin and over the PTI tribunal’s report on intra-party elections.”
PML-N’s counsel Barrister Asjad Saeed told The Express Tribune that NADRA’s report was based on comparison with the authority’s CNIC records rather than verification in the light of the Supreme Court’s 1999 judgment. Saeed said the election of the returning candidate could not be declared null and void because of negligence of the polling staff.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2015.