Commission declines ECP plea to present form-15 record

ROs appearing before the commission presented evidence that PML-Q candidates had been notified

ISLAMABAD: The inquiry commission probing alleged rigging in the May 2013 polls has refused to receive record of forms-15 from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The ECP’s counsel Salman Akram Raja on Wednesday told the three-judge commission, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk that the polls body wanted to place before the commission record of Form 15, which it had received through returning officers (ROs).

The commission, however, declined the plea and said the ECP should keep its record of Form-15, which it might submit if it were needed with regard to any particular constituency.

The commission had on May 27 had ordered opening of the vote bags to obtain form-15, which contains the record of ballot papers prepared by presiding officers, and assigned the task to district judges of the respective districts with the instruction to complete it by June 8.

According to the preliminary summary of the reports, out of 44,339 polling stations scrutinised in 169 National Assembly constituencies, 14,641 polling stations had vote bags without Form 15.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a member of the ECP’s legal team said they have the records of Form 15, which is not collected by district courts judges and which they wanted to place before the commission. “But the CJP rejected our plea,” he said.

Talking to the media after the hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf counsel Abdul Hafiz Pirzada appreciated the inquiry commission for not relying on the ECP’s record.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the chief justice observed that 84% of Form 15 had been collected by district courts judges. He asked the attorneys of political parties to examine the records of Form 15 and assist the commission on its impact. “We [the commission] are also analysing the record,” he said.

The chef justice told the counsels for political parties that the commission is also considering summoning its own witnesses as well, adding that if the commission came to a decision on this, then it would inform the stakeholders.

Seven returning officers (ROs) also appeared before the commission on Wednesday and were cross-examined by Dr Khalid Ranjha, the counsel for Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).

Giving their statements, the ROs denied that they had not sent notices to the PML-Q candidates during the consolidation of results. Some of them also furnished copies of these notices. However, Dr Ranjha raised objection over credibility of the PML-Q candidates’ signatures.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami also produced three private witnesses to establish that elections were rigged by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi.

JI leader Muhammad Hussain Mahnti alleged that the MQM held the entire polling staff and committed severe irregularities on election day which prompted the JI to boycott.

He said the Sindh caretaker chief minister had summoned an all parties’ conference before the general elections, where all the political parties except Pakistan People’s Party and the MQM had demanded that army should be deployed for security on the polling day.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till Monday.