ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday again reserved its judgment on the alleged illegal transfer of votes in NA-122 after hearing arguments of counsels for the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI). The commission will now announce the judgment on February 1.
PTI’s candidate Aleem Khan had approached the ECP seeking annulment of the election result in NA-122 after beaten by PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq on October 12 last year in an election the PTI termed unfair due to transfer of thousands of votes despite issuance of election schedule.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, now Speaker National Assembly retained the constituency by grabbing 74,525 votes. PTI’s Aleem Khan though gave tough challenge, yet came short by more than two thousand votes by securing 72,082.
During an in-camera trial, PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Aleem Khan showed up at the ECP’s office quite earlier waiting for their lawyer Salman Akram Raja who was arrived later in the office.
The PTI seeks access to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) under the Right to Information (RTI) law so that it could know the details of the voters whose votes were shifted from NA-122 despite that the ECP had issued schedule for the by-election in the constituency.
According to officials in ECP, it would be the first precedent in electoral history of the country that NADRA will be required to check the history of over 26,000 voters in a constituency, saying it was a complex and time-consuming exercise.
However, Salman Akram Raja, PTI’S counsel told The Nation that his client (Aleem Khan) was simply pleading to know why thousands of votes were shifted at the eleventh hour from a constituency when the ECP had issued election schedule for NA-122.
“I am not sure about the possible judgment the ECP will announce on February 1 but we must be satisfied about the vote transfer that happened in NA-122 ahead of the by-election,” Raja said.
The PTI stated as per the record of the ECP 26,000 new voters were registered and 4,600 votes were transferred during last two years. It said that 812 voters personally confirmed about their votes’ transfer whereas votes of the rest of voters were shifted from the constituency against their will.
Sources privy to the hearing in ECP said that lawyers of the two political parties debated heatedly in defense of their respective clients with PTI’s counsel insisting on access to the record of NADRA that will expose the illegal vote transfer.
Aleem Khan told reporters later he will congratulate Ayaz Sadiq for winning the seat once the ECP directs NADRA to verify the number of votes that have been transferred from NA-122 ahead of the by-polls.
Shahid Hamid, counsel for Ayaz Sadiq, left the venue immediately after the court reserved its judgment till February 1. PML-N’s MNA Talal Chaudhry also left the place without talking to media.
Sources in the ECP said the issue was complex as the commission has not yet reached any conclusion despite hearing the case for five times. They said the allegations of vote transfer was not only a serious issue but also a difficult one as NADRA has to make public the individual record of over 26,000 voters.
The PTI has also challenged the results of NA-122 by-polls in election tribunal in Lahore besides moving the ECP under Article 19A seeking to make the record of voters public in order to know how many votes were shifted from the constituency ahead of the by-polls.