ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has submitted its report regarding discrepancies in the thumb verification record of NA-118, to an election tribunal in Lahore.

“Nadra’s verification report is based on facts and Nadra will stand by them in any court of law,” Nadra spokesperson Faik Ali said in a statement issued on Friday.

He said the authority adopted the same methodology that was followed in all 23 reports submitted to various election tribunals. “The reports of 23 constituencies neither implicate nor exonerate any one or any party,” he added.

According to Nadra’s spokesperson, the report contains nothing in favour of or against any party

The NA-118 (Lahore-I) is one of the four constituencies where candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League-N had been declared successful. However, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf alleges that the election on these seats was ‘rigged’.

According to the statement, the report pertaining to NA-118 is based on facts and does not conclude in favour of any of the parties. The findings are based on the verification exercise carried out in accordance with the mandate defined by election tribunal, it said.

“This report was accordingly submitted to the Lahore election tribunal for legal proceedings on June 9. It is, thereafter, the jurisdiction of the Lahore election tribunal to draw any conclusions in order to pass judgment either in line with Nadra’s verification report or any other evidence or consideration as admissible under law,” the spokesperson said.

The handing-over of election materials from NA-118 was carried out in the presence of the election tribunal representative, retired Justice Munir Ahmed Mughal, the spokesperson said.

During this process, it was observed that only 69 polling bags contained the complete relevant material required to comply with the orders of the election tribunal, the statement added.

This fact was immediately brought into the notice of election tribunal through Nadra’s letter issued on April 9, 2014. Subsequently, the election tribunal in an order on April 10, 2014, defined the scope of Nadra’s verification exercise.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2014