ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday directed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to submit its response in a case pertaining to claimed vote fraud during a by-election for a National Assembly (NA) seat in a Sialkot constituency last week.
The commission had on Saturday stopped the results of the NA-75 (Sialkot-IV) by-election — a seat in Daska Tehsil of the city which fell vacant after the demise of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Sahibazada Syed Iftikharul Hassan Shah in August.
In an unprecedented move, the election commission in a press statement said it suspected that the results of 20 polling stations in the constituency had been falsified because it received the results of the constituency with “unnecessary delay”.
During the hearing on Tuesday, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, counsel for PTI had sought a week to submit the record and “verified results and proof”. However, Raja turned down the request.
He also remarked that the ECP will reach a conclusion regarding the NA-75 by-poll. “If the election was [fair], the results will be released. If it is not, then re-polling can be done,” he said.
But Salman Akram Raja, who was representing the PML-N candidate, said: “Re-polling should not only be done at those particular polling stations. We need to cast an eye on the election in the whole constituency.”
Taking a cue from PML-N’s position on the matter, he claimed the fiasco was a pre-planned “operation”.
A video of the shots fired outside a polling station in Daska was also presented to the ECP. “PTI workers can be seen firing shots in the presence of the party’s candidate, Ali Asjad Malhi,” Barrister Raja said.
The returning officer (RO) also submitted his report to the ECP. He said that the results from 337 polling stations were added to the RMS by 3:30 am.
“There was a delay [in the results] for 20 polling stations,” he said, adding that 19 presiding officers could not be contacted.
“The presiding officers were accompanied by police officials. Did you try contacting them through the wireless?” asked CEC Raja. At this, the RO replied that he had instructed the Daska Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) to do so but they were still unable to contact the presiding officers (POs).
He added that out of the 20 polling stations, the results of ten [stations] were received between 4:30 am and 6:30 am. “There is no difference in the results of the four of these polling stations; the results of the presiding officer and the polling agents are the same,” he said.
He added that some of the presiding officers said that they were unreachable due to car troubles or fog.
The CEC noted that the RO seemed “distressed” when he contacted the ECP headquarters on the night of the by-poll.
“You had said that the police and the administration were not cooperating,” he said. The RO replied that the administration did cooperate but a large crowd of people, comprising PML-N and PTI supporters, had gathered outside the office.
Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned till Thursday.
ECP FINAL AUTHORITY ON MATTER: GOVT
Meanwhile, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said that the ECP will take the final decision regarding the by-poll, Radio Pakistan reported.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he said that the PML-N disturbed law and order situation in the recent by-elections.
Prime Minister Imran, he said, has made an important announcement regarding the PML-N’s application for re-polling in 23 polling stations.
The minister said that the government wanted to introduce electronic voting in the next general elections, adding the politics of the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is based on deceit.
