Daily Times

The process of recounting votes in different constituencies commenced across the country after several political parties cried foul following the announcement of results.

Those constituencies where votes are being recounted include Faisalabad’s NA-108 and NA-106, Multan’s NA-154 and NA-157, NA-230 Badin, NA-57 Murree, NA-131 Lahore, and others.

From PP-270 Muzaffargarh 3, independent candidate Abdul Hayi Dasti was declared the winner on Saturday after a vote recount showed him leading Pakistan Awami Raaj (PAR) candidate Muhammad Ajmal Khan by a margin of 17 votes.

According to unofficial results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan after the polls, Ajmal Khan had won the Punjab Assembly constituency PP-270 Muzaffargarh 3 by securing 17,669 votes. Dasti was runner-up with 17,645 votes in the narrowly fought contest.

Meanwhile, pleas for vote recount filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Saad Rafique and Abid Sher Ali were approved by the respective Returning Officers on Friday, as well as the plea by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Aleem Khan.

Rafique challenged his opponent Imran Khan’s victory in the closely contested NA-131 Lahore 9 constituency, alleging that the presiding officer deliberately rejected hundreds of votes.

Imran won NA-131 Lahore 9 with 84,313 votes, defeating Rafique, who secured 83,633 votes.

Abid Sher Ali challenged PTI’s Farrukhh Habib in NA-108 Faisalabad.

PTI’s Aleem Khan requested for a vote recount in NA-129 Lahore. After accepting his plea, the returning officer summoned the winning candidate, PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq, for a recount of votes earlier in the day.

Sadiq received 103,021 votes from NA-129 Lahore 7 constituency to win a seat in the National Assembly. Aleem Khan was the runner-up with 94,879 votes.

Separately, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s petition for a recount in his NA-57 Murree constituency was rejected on Saturday by Returning Officer Haider Ali.

Abbasi lost his home constituency and allegations of rigging were hurled by workers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Abbasi had filed a petition asking for a recount in the constituency. Lawyers from both the PTI and PML-N argued their case in front of a local judge. The RO announced the verdict of a petition after hearing the arguments of all parties in the case.

Published in Daily Times, July 29^th 2018.