Imran Khan talks to media after the proceeding of the judicial commission formed to probe rigging in 2013 general elections. PHOTO: INP
“On average, 3% to 4% extra ballots were printed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P); however, in Safdar Abbasi’s electorate, who happens to be Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law, 16% extra ballots were printed,” Imran claimed, while addressing the media in Islamabad.
In Lahore, he said, 120,885 extra ballots were printed in NA-125.
Similarly, he claimed, in Hamza Shahbaz’s constituency, 62,930 extra ballots were sent, which is almost 21% extra than the original quantity that had to be printed, whereas in NA-118, the amount of extra ballots printed was 56,154.
Read: ECP was involved in rigging 2013 general elections: Imran Khan
The PTI chief argued that the role of Punjab’s election commissioner Anwer Mehboob in rigging was also evident.
“He lied that he only provided ballots asked by the returning officers (ROs),” said Imran. “This is on record, Jahangir Tareen’s RO asked for 15,000 extra ballots but Mehboob sent the said amount twice. In total, 30,000.”
The PTI chief said he had no doubts that the provincial election commissioner had sent those ballot papers.
A judicial commission under CJP Justice Nasirul Mulk is probing the alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections.
Read: Judicial commission cross-examines PTI's first witness
Earlier, the PTI presented the above mentioned records before the judicial commission.
Former election commissioner of Punjab before the inquiry commission admitted he had accepted demands made for extra ballots by the ROs.
“It is incorrect to suggest that I increased the number of extra ballot papers by 15,000 in NA-154,” he said.
Anwar; however, contradicted his earlier statement that there was a uniform policy regarding the printing of extra ballot papers, adding that there was no specific mention in the ECP’s directions to ROs regarding extra ballots.
ECP submits list of witnesses
The ECP has submitted list of eight witnesses before the inquiry commission for recording their statements over alleged rigging in last general elections.
According the list, the ECP has requested the commission to summon Additional Secretary ECP Sher Afghan, Secretary Printing Corporation Pakistan (PPC) Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, DG Budget ECP Raja Ghias-ud-din and Manager PPC Fazalur Rehman, among others.
Meanwhile, the ECP’s counsel Salman Akram Raja also submitted a report stating that thousands of extra ballots were printed in constituencies from where PTI candidates won the elections.
View the map of constituencies where extra ballots were printed here.
ECP submits list of witnesses
The ECP has submitted a list of eight witnesses before the inquiry commission to record their statements over alleged rigging in the last general elections.
According the list, the ECP has requested the commission to summon Additional Secretary ECP Sher Afghan, Secretary Printing Corporation Pakistan (PPC) Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, DG Budget ECP Raja Ghias-ud-din and Manager PPC Fazalur Rehman, among others.
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