By poll results: 25,000 voters added to NA-122 after 2013, says Aleem Khan

PTI leader writes to provincial election commissioner, seeking more details

LAHORE: Abdul Aleem Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate from NA-122, wrote a letter to the provincial election commissioner on Monday, seeking more details regarding the voters registered in the constituency.

Khan has claimed that over 25,000 voters were added to the voters’ lists in the constituency after the 2013 general elections without applications backed by Form-A.

Khan has sought an explanation from the ECP regarding the addition of 25,267 voters in the NA-122 constituency. Addressed to Punjab Election Commissioner Masud Malik, the letter states that out of the 25,989 voters added to the constituency after the 2013 elections, only 812 had filed applications. “Out of these 812 cases, 722 are backed by Form-A,” the letter states.

Earlier, the ECP had provided the PTI a list of voters added and deleted from the voters’ list since the 2013 elections in NA-122. According to the ECP, 25,989 votes had been added and 4,542 votes had been deleted.

Khan’s letter seeks an explanation for the addition of votes in the constituency. It also asks for record of new votes registered on account of voters’ attaining the age of 18 and whether these voters belonged to households already registered in the same constituency. It requests for the provision of the documents required for the registration of new voters and deletion of 542 voters.

The letter claims that the addresses mentioned by 17,082 of the new voters were in areas that did not fall in the NA-122 constituency.

The ECP has been asked to provide the record sent to the NADRA for making changes to the voters’ list. The letter lists five residential addresses from Muhammad Nagar and Garhi Shahu where over 30 voters each are registered. “We require you to provide explanation as to why a large number of people belonging to different gharanas [households] have been shown as residing at one address,” the letter states.

“The PTI is not satisfied with the by-election in NA-122,” Aleem Khan said after submitting the letter. He said that the ECP should provide details of registered as well as transferred voters. “We have submitted solid evidence to the ECP. We reserve the right to start a legal battle,” he said. He said the party also planned to approach the ECP in Islamabad over the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th,  2015.