ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) revealed before the Supreme Court of Pakistan that the material of 29 polling stations was not provided to verify the counter foils of Sialkot’s NA-110 constituency, where an active leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, now Defence Minister, KhawajaAsif emerged victorious in the May 2013 general elections.
The NA-110 (Sialkot) constituency was one of the four constituencies for which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had staged a countrywide sit-in for four months and sought vote audit and re-election through election petitions. The other constituencies included NA-125 (Lahore), NA-122 (Lahore), and NA-154 (Lodhran).
According to the NADRA report, the authority received eight cartons comprising 199 sealed khaki envelopes wrapped in polythene bags which contained election material of NA-110 Sialkot.
“It is worth mentioning that NADRA has received 199 sealed khaki envelopes against 198 polling stations as such two khaki envelopes were received with respect to Polling Station (PS) No. 36,” the report pointed out.
“Moreover, as per manifest election material of 29 Polling Stations i.e. 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 were not provided,” the report further stated.
According to the available report from Polling Station (PS) No. 1 to 37, 2 used counter foils (CF) were found missing from PS No. 3. Similarly 5, 2, 3 and 3 used CFs were found missing from PS No. 5, 6, 7, 8 respectively. 2, 6 and 4 used CFs found missing from PS No. 9, 10 and 11 respectively. In the same way 2 used CF were found missing from PS No. 14 while three used CFs were found missing in PS No. 15, moreover, CF Book No. 019101 not mentioned in manifest but found in the envelope. One used CF was found missing in PS No. 16 while four used CF were found missing in PS No.18. Likewise, one and two used CFs were found missing in PS No. 19 and 20 respectively. 4 and one used CF was found missing from PS No. 25 and 26 respectively. In PS No.27 the remarks stated that two used CFs were found missing in CF Book No. 036102 and 036001 from the available election material of the said polling station of NA-110. Moreover, it added that same serial No. mentioned was used in CF Book No. 036101. One CF was found missing from PS No. 34 while in PS No. 36A three used CF books were found in the khaki envelope which are not mentioned in the manifest.
Accordingly, all the sealed bags of above mentioned constituency were de-sealed one by one by NADRA board of office to undertake reconciliation process (Pre-Scanning and Scanning) in the presence of the aforesaid representatives w.e.f March 8 2016 to 6 April 2016.
The election material and counter foils were examined by NADRA board of officials’ representatives in the presences of District Election Commissioner Sialkot Maqbool Elahi and Election Officer Sialkot Adnan Sakhawat Ali.
However, the analysis report by NADRA regarding thumb impressions was not submitted. “Furthermore, the requisite NADRA Analysis Report regarding verification of thumb impression of the voters will be submitted in due course of time,” the report stated.
On January 18, a three-judge bench of the top court headed by Chief Justice Anwar ZaheerJamali directed NADRA to verify thumb impressions within three months. The order was issued after PTI’s runner up candidate Usman Dar filed a petition alleging that the defense minister was rigging.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had won the NA-110 seat with 92,803 votes while the PTI’s Usman Dar bagged 71,525.
After accepting Dar’s application for hearing, the apex court directed the NADRA to verify counterfoils and thumb impressions on votes cast in NA-110 within three months.