ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to proceed against people who cast more than one vote in the 2013 elections.

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has alleged large-scale vote fraud in its reports on thumb impression verification of voters in some national and provincial assembly constituencies. In a startling revelation it identified a man who had cast as many as 310 votes at a polling station for women.

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Nasirul Mulk presided over a meeting of the ECP on Monday, attended by all its members and senior officials.

An official told Dawn that the commission had decided to summon Nadra reports submitted to election tribunals in all cases which had been disposed of. He said those found guilty of casting more than one vote would be tried under the Pakistan Penal Code. He said the commission would determine if the act of multiple voting came under the ambit of impersonation.

Under Section 80 of the Representation of People Act, 1976, a person is guilty of impersonation if he votes, or applies for a ballot paper for voting, as some other person whether that ‘other person’ is dead, alive or fictitious.

The ECP official said impersonation came under corrupt practices, and if the charge of impersonation was proved against a person it might entail a sentence of imprisonment of up to three years, or a fine of Rs5,000 or both. He agreed that there was a need to enhance punishment of the serious offence and said it was part of the electoral reforms proposed by the commission.

He also agreed that an electoral fraud of such a nature was not possible without the collusion of polling staff and, therefore, the returning officers and presiding officers concerned should also be taken to task. “A mechanism has to be devised for this,” he remarked.

A source in Nadra said the authority had so far received about 30 cases from election tribunals for verification of thumbprints, half of which had already been verified and sent to the tribunals concerned and the rest would be finalised soon.

The first report from Nadra submitted to a tribunal last year revealed that the May 11 election for a National Assembly seat (NA-258) in Karachi had been massively rigged. The seat was won by PML-N candidate Abdul Hakim Baloch. The election petition was filed by the PPP candidate, Abdul Razzaq Raja.

Investigations by Nadra revealed that there were 1,404 duplicate votes cast by 658 voters mainly in two polling stations. It said that the thumb impressions on 23,432 ballots could not be compared or matched through the Nadra system because the fingerprints were of very poor quality, seemingly due to a lack of essential properties of the ink and inkpad used. The report said that only 2,475 of total 32,865 ballots sent to Nadra for verification of certain polling stations were successfully authenticated.

It said that during the process of verification it was revealed that as many as 4,680 counterfoils contained invalid CNIC numbers, which were never issued by Nadra. Besides, the report said 435 votes were found not registered in the constituency and the fact was ascertained on the basis of the CNIC numbers mentioned on counterfoils. This bogus voting was observed in three polling stations.

It said eight votes were cast on one CNIC (42401-974889-5) of Mohammad Swaleheen, a resident of Khuda ki Basti, Surjani Town. The report also said that 11 votes were polled on one CNIC (42501-6587372-7) issued in the name of Mohammad Faizanuddin, a resident of Majeed Colony, Landhi. It said that 386 used counterfoils were found without having fingerprints on them.

It said that 53 votes failed authentication, meaning that someone else had voted against the CNIC number mentioned on the counterfoils.

The second report was about polls in NA-256 (Karachi). Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) candidate Iqbal Mohammad Khan had won the seat while Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Zubair Khan had challenged the result.

The Nadra report revealed that there were 5,839 duplicate or multiple votes, which were cast by 2,812 voters mainly in two polling stations. It said seven votes were cast on one CNIC belonging to a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. It said there were 11,343 ballot papers that contained invalid national identity card numbers, which were never issued by Nadra.

Besides, 314 ballot papers were found without fingerprints. The report said that only 6,815 of the 84,748 ballots sent to Nadra for verification of certain polling stations were authenticated. The thumb impressions on 57,642 ballots could not be compared or matched through the Nadra system because the prints were of very poor quality. The report said 1,950 votes failed authentication because someone else had voted against the CNIC number mentioned on used counterfoils.

Confirming allegations of bogus voting on PS-114 (Mehmoodabad), a Sindh Assembly seat won by the PML-N candidate, another Nadra report said thumb impressions on 63,469 ballots could not be compared or matched through the Nadra system because the fingerprints were of very poor quality.

The Nadra report, third in a row, was submitted to an election tribunal, on an election petition filed by the runner-up candidate, MQM’s Abdur Rauf Siddiqui, challenging the victory of Irfanullah Khan Marwat of the PML-N.

The report also revealed that a large number of duplicate or multiple votes had been cast mainly in two polling stations. The report said that as many as 44 votes were polled on the CNIC (42301-3760308-7) of Mohammad Arif Sattar, a resident of Azam Town. One Bibi Jamila bearing CNIC 24301-1530723-0 — a resident of Mehmoodabad — cast her vote five times. The report said 581 ballot papers were found without having fingerprints on them.

The report said that 92,731 counterfoils were sent to Nadra for verification. Of them, 14,234 ballot papers contained invalid national identity card numbers, which were never issued by Nadra. This bogus voting was observed in polling station numbers 64 and 69.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2014