Missing record makes poll process suspicious: SC

Seeks record of NA-110 Sialkot within a week

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday observed that missing record in a constituency made the election process suspicious and the apex court directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to trace the record of missing votes from 29 polling stations in NA-110 Sialkot and submit a comprehensive report within a week.

A three-member bench headed by SC Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab resumed hearing into the election petition wherein Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Usman Dar levelled allegations of rigging by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Khawaja Asif in NA-110, Sialkot.

The court also directed Director Legal, National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), to file a comprehensive report on technical issues pertaining to forensic report contents on voters’ thumb verification of the National Assembly constituency NA-110 Sialkot.

Earlier, in May, Nadra revealed before the Supreme Court that the material of 29 polling stations was not provided to verify the counterfoils of Sialkot’s NA-110 constituency. The 29 polling stations included polling stations Nos12, 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.

On Wednesday, during the course of hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali asked the ECP secretary as to how the record pertaining to 20 polling stations got missing from the custody of the commission.

The ECP secretary replied that a report could be sought from the Returning Officer and District Returning Officer about the missing election material.

The chief justice, however, remarked that the ECP was the protector of election material adding that in such a manner anybody intentionally could miss the record and later on demand re-election.

“Such type of affairs can make the whole election process suspicious,” the chief justice remarked. The ECP secretary, however, said that possibly some election material was despatched in other polling bags.

The chief justice observed that there was a doomsday situation during the election day adding that the election staff at polling stations could not get meal well on time while no transport facilities were available to the election staff during the elections.

Babar Awan, the counsel for Usman Dar, told the court that every corruption begins from corruption in election. He further said that Khawaja Asif had invited all the Presiding Officers of the constituency to his home for tea before the election day. He further said that the ECP had not yet responded to their complaint they had registered with it.

Meanwhile, the court sought a report from the ECP and Nadra pertaining to the missing record of 29 polling stations of NA-110 Sialkot within a week and adjourned further hearing.