ISLAMABAD: The PML-Q counsel finally managed to get a favourable order from the poll inquiry commission on Tuesday when it summoned seven returning officers (ROs) who conducted the 2013 general elections in these constituencies from Punjab.

A three-man inquiry commission, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul-Mulk, accep­ted the plea of Dr Khalid Ranjha, who appeared on behalf of the PML-Q, after recording the testimonies of seven witnesses produced by the party.

Know more: CJ asks PML-Q counsel to come up with proof of rigging

All the witnesses who contested elections on PML-Q tickets from different constituencies alleged before the commission on oath that the ROs concerned did not call them by issuing any notice to them. They said they were not even allowed to enter the premises when ROs were consolidating election results in the last elections. All witnesses claimed that they were told by ROs that the results would be communicated to them at their homes and therefore they need not come.

“The allegations levelled by the witnesses necessitated the examination of the ROs concerned,” the commission observed. It ordered the judicial officers to appear before it on Wednesday with records regarding the issuance of notices to the candidates.

The commission ordered court officials to inform ROs about its order through the Registrar of the Lahore High Court. The witnesses who appeared before the commission were Mohammad Shah, Sardar Mohammad Yar Hiraj, Sardar Talib Hussain Naqai, Khalid Pervez Gill, Chaudhry Shafaat Hussain and Dr Azeemuddin.

The judicial officers who are to appear on Wednesday are Additional Sessions Judge Amir Habib of constituency NA-134, Sheikhupura; Senior Civil Judge Rafaqat Ali Kambar for NA-140, Kasur; Additional Sessions Judge Ijaz Hussain Awan of NA-142, Kasur; Additional Sessions Judge Arshad Hus­sain of NA-164, Pakpattan; Additional Sessions Judge Imtiaz Hussain of PP-61, Fai­salabad; Additional Ses­sions Judge Mohammad Qasim Khan of PP-109, Gujrat; and Additional Sessions Judge Qamar Ijaz of PP-215, Khanewal.

AVAILABILITY OF FORM 15: The commission provided on Tuesday to the PTI, PML-N, PPPP and other political parties copies of the reports it received from district judges about the availability of Form-15 after retrieving copies from all polling stations of every constituency of the entire national as well as provincial assemblies.

The decision to open the sealed election bags to recover Form 15 from these bags retained at the treasuries (in each district) on behalf of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was made by the commission on May 27 after accepting a PTI request.

An informed source told Dawn that 62 per cent out of a total of 140,000 Form 15 had been received by the commission from 44,339 polling stations, of which the number of polling stations from where these forms were not available were 14,641, though 29,698 of such polling stations had the required document.

Likewise 3,449 bags had their seal broken in these polling stations whereas the 40,630 bags were duly sealed. But in 260 polling stations these elections bags were missing.

In total the commission received reports about Form 15 from 169 constituencies out of a total of 272 National Assembly seats.

Likewise, reports from 211 constituencies were provided to the commission out of a total of 297 provincial assembly constituencies in Punjab, 59 constituencies out of 131 Sindh Assembly seats, 20 out of 57 seats in Balochistan Assembly and 73 out of 99 seats in KP Assembly.

On Tuesday Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, representing PTI, informed the commission that he would not examine PTI chief Imran Khan, as suggested by him earlier.

In addition to ROs, the commission also summoned a former Election Commissioner of Sindh, S. M. Tariq Qadri, as well as MQM-Haqiqi leader Aftab Ahmed on the request of Hashmat Habib, a counsel representing the Haqiqi. They will be examined relating to the incidents of law and order situation in Karachi which prevented the Haqiqi candidates to freely run and participate in the elections.

The court also wanted to summon Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed, but the counsel said that due to security concerns, his movement was a bit problematic and therefore he could not come on Wednesday. though he may come the following day.

The commission also decided to record the testimonies of five witnesses produced by the Jamaat-i-Islami.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2015

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