I'm being punished for Returning Officers' failure: Saad Rafique

Published May 4, 2015
Khawaja Saad Rafique talks to the media outside a court in Lahore. — AFP
Khawaja Saad Rafique talks to the media outside a court in Lahore. — AFP

LAHORE: Deflecting all charges, Khawaja Saad Rafique said Monday that an election tribunal's decision to order re-election in NA-125 constituency was against the presiding and residing officers of the constituency, and that runner-up PTI candidate Hamid Khan had "failed" to prove rigging.

The PML-N leader was holding a press conference soon after an election tribunal in Lahore ordered re-election in NA-125 constituency which was won by Rafique during the May 2013 general election.

The Tribunal's one-page verdict said that ballot bags had been opened with a sharp object and records had been tampered with. It also found that on average, each person had cast six votes each.

A visibly relaxed Rafique refused to acknowledge the tribunal's rigging verdict, instead picking on a technicality in the judge's decision.

"The tribunal's decision proves that there was no rigging. Even though the judge could have said that rigging had taken place, he did not explicitly mention it," Rafique asserted.

He added that the tribunal judge's decision may result in the disqualification of the Residing Officer(s) involved.

"If Returning Officers are to be blamed for malpractice, then why am I and my voters being punished?" he lamented.

Hamid Khan's lawyer had also contended that Rafique paid one of the residing officers Rs20 million to rig the elections, to which the PML-N leader responded: "I don't want to start a blame-game but Imran Khan says a lot of lies. So, if Hamid Khan lies once, I shouldn't mind".

Rafique said the decision to approach the Supreme Court with regards to challenging the tribunal's verdict was something he could not take without consulting party members. He added that he was ready to contest the elections again.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared the verdict a blow for the government and said the matter would be taken to the Supreme Court.

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...