Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has summoned officials of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to explain the technicalities involved in the forensic audit of votes in the NA-110 constituency.

The court observed that the ECP was the custodian of the election material and it had to explain to the court that why the record of 29 polling stations was missing.

Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali heads the three-member bench of the Supreme Court. Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab are members of the bench, which took up the election petition on Tuesday wherein Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Usman Dar accused Khawaja Asif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz of vote rigging in the NA-110 constituency in Sialkot.

Earlier in May, the NADRA informed the Supreme Court that it was not provided the material of 29 polling stations for verification of the votes cast in Sialkot’s NA-110 constituency. The NADRA said that counterfoils of the votes cast at the following polling stations were not available: 12, 21, 22, 38, 47, 54, 68, 73, 76, 81, 84, 101, 107, 116, 118, 121, 124, 132, 134, 138, 153, 170, 186, 202, 203, 215, 216, 217 and 218.

During the hearing, Babar Awan, counsel for Dar, cited the NADRA report as saying that Asif won the election in the NA-110 constituency by a margin of 21,000 votes. He said there was no record of 30,000 votes of 29 polling stations. He said the election was rigged in this constituency; therefore, record of votes cast at 29 polling stations was not available.

Justice Faisal Arab observed that at least some votes would have been cast in favour of the runner-up candidate at the 29 polling stations of the constituency.

Awan said that 142,000 votes were cast in the NA-110 constituency in the last general election and only 44,000 votes could be verified. He said that computerised national identity card (CNIC) numbers of voters given in the forensic report were not correct.

Awan cited the case of Raja Zaman and said the top court initially ordered re-election at disputed polling stations and then the same appellate forum reviewed the petition and ordered re-election in the entire constituency. He asked the court to order re-election in the entire constituency.

Chief Justice Jamali said the court would first hear the NADRA and then decide the validity of its forensic audit of votes in the NA-110 constituency. The court summoned NADRA officials and ECPP secretary before adjourning the case until Wednesday (today).