Election Tribunal Judge Kazim Ali Malik on Wednesday adjourned hearing of final arguments till June 18 (today) in Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s petition seeking a re-election in NA-122 on the ground that National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had rigged election in 2013.
Earlier, Advocate Anees Ali Hashmi, counsel for the PTI chief, argued that the counting of ballot papers had been flawed. He said the number of ballots counted by the local commission appointed by the tribunal was different from the number counted by the returning officers following the election.
He said the ballots with counterfoils having incorrect computerised identity cards (CNIC) numbers should be declared invalid.
The PTI counsel will resume his arguments on Wednesday. He will be followed by the counsel for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
At a previous hearing, the tribunal had reserved its decision on a supplementary report submitted to it by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) stating that based on forensic examination of election material 5,898 (96.7 per cent) of the 6,123 votes, should be deemed valid.
In its report submitted to the tribunal on May 9, the NADRA had stated that it could fully verify 73,478 out of the 184,151 votes cast in the constituency.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2015.
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