Recount, thumb impression verification ordered on two NA, seven PA seats

E-Paper | April 24, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday ordered the recounting of and verification of thumb impressions on votes polled in two National Assembly and seven Punjab Assembly seats.

After allegations of rigging on PP-39 (Khushab-I), PP-43 (Mianwali-I), PP-205 (Multan-XII), PP-9 (Rawalpindi-IX), PP-257 (Muzaffargarh-VII), PP-155 (Lahore-XIX) and PP-156 (Lahore-XX) as well as two National Assembly seats, including NA-125 (Lahore-VIII), the commission ordered the recounting and thumb impressions' verification.

It is pertinent to note that activists of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) had alleged rigging during the election for NA-125 and had staged a sit-in to register their protest over the result from the said constituency.

Earlier, Khawaja Saad Rafique of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) was said to have won from the seat securing over 120,000 votes and defeating PTI’s Hamid Khan (83,000). After which, Khan had requested the ECP for a vote recount on NA-125, which the commission had reportedly rejected at the time.

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

Pakistan

CM Maryam grills police officers over spike in crime across Punjab

Traffic fines cut by amending Motor Vehicles Bill in Punjab

Six Vietnamese deported from Lahore for suspicious travel papers

Syed Asif Zafar

May 29, 2013 02:03pm

Syed Asif Jeddah ECP Should be verfication of thumb impression and recount of vote .Note only few area .Should be all seats in pakistan.Make some timetable and one by one all seats to be recheck and make sure all vote is actul vote and not a single vote is fake.this imprtant and good for ECP and pakistan future.

Recommend 0

Khalid

May 29, 2013 05:18pm

**Has ECP totally ignored what has been happening in Karachi for the past several years? False balloting and poll rigging, pressuring voters to vote for a specific political party appear to the the rule rather than exception in this city. A major political party boycotted the elections because of target killing its workers. Surely, the powers that be have decided to give the devil his due. Is this any way to bring peace to a terror-torn city? Or does Karachi have a low priority for the federation as has always been?Any answers?

Recommend 0

Saylani

May 29, 2013 07:06pm

what's happened is happened next elections can only be made fair if no paper involved Before next election every body should have new ID cards with chip yes with chip . every polling station should have ATM type machines , voter will insert ID card with chip in this ATM Type machine ballot paper will show on the screen and you vote by thumb impression simple , vote is casted machine read thumb impression which is already in Nadra's record vote counting is done by data collected no body can cheat we have five years to train the nation and come up with voting machine are we civilized enough to except this if we are then do it .This idea is free

Recommend 0

Ali S

May 29, 2013 11:33am

ECP should stop making these selective decisions. They admitted that they failed to carry out free and fair elections in Karachi. Why on earth are they not doing anything about it. Its still not late ECP - There is still time to wipe off your stains. DO IT !

Recommend 0

farhan

May 29, 2013 09:12am

Why only these few constituencies why not the whole country. Thumb impression vote recognition system should have been deployed in the whole country during the May elections given the history of rigging in Pakistan elections. Yet again ECP has disappointed the citizens of Pakistan. Only those who are making the loudest noises are getting the recount what about the silent majority

Recommend 0

Syed

May 29, 2013 10:17am

It is sad that a cheater is going to be our PM and the whole nation including so called intelectuals are ok with it. These elections were rigged the moment the Returning officers allowed bank defaulters, fake degree holders and criminals to run for the elections.

Recommend 0

Zulfiqar Khan

May 29, 2013 10:29am

@Wake Up Pakistanis! If more than 200,000 persons remain standing for more than 7 hours at Karachi for waiting,then how can corrupt ECP call these elections free and fair? ECP failed to hold free and fair elections ; it is the truth. In NA 243, more than 400,000 votes were cast in NA and PS assemblies, it is all fraud and rigged elections.

Recommend 0

azhar

May 29, 2013 11:53am

fully supporting the issue

Recommend 0

Kamran

May 29, 2013 11:56am

Recount action is appreciated, from this at least people will know the fairness of ECP. However people should accept the result of each other rather thinking that all voters in their areas are belongs to their favourite parties. Also Polling agent of each party should be questioned because they were present in each booth during polling and counting. How can their accomulated calculation is not giving fake or actual figures.

Recommend 0

rehman wali

May 29, 2013 12:34pm

Recommend 0

shahid

May 29, 2013 12:39pm

I think, the Khanewal national seat where Mr. Fakhar Imam lost to Mr. Haraj should be recounted with verifications too. Big bags of bogus votes were caught and shown on national networks here.

Recommend 0

Malik Arif

May 29, 2013 12:40pm

God bless our country from the "inqulabis" like you guys!

Recommend 0

Hassan

May 29, 2013 12:41pm

and what about NA-128 why isn't thumb checking processed here

Recommend 0

Kashif Tufail Bhatti

May 29, 2013 12:41pm

Silent majority should speak up if it sees it as the right option because "to see the right and not to do it is cowardice".

Recommend 0

Syed Ahmed

May 29, 2013 01:08pm

Khawaja Saad Rafique in danger.

Recommend 0

Waqar Khan

May 29, 2013 01:17pm

Too late now. The riggers must have prepared their records.

Recommend 0

Waqar Khan

May 29, 2013 01:19pm

Same should be done in all constituencies of big cities like Karachi and Lahore.

Recommend 0

Malick

May 29, 2013 01:39pm

Re counting is appreciated but the need of time is re-election through out Punjab. ROs election is not the nation need. ROs involved should be treated by CJ himself.

Recommend 0

nauman

May 29, 2013 01:48pm

it is quite possible that pti may loss any seat .... but the order is for good so we must back it up

Recommend 0

Ahsan Saeed

May 29, 2013 02:18pm

I am quit sure they must have done something in their favor during all this time..After all PML-N is known for rigging..Witness all the rigging done by Saad Rafique and his family at NA125 polling station S Block DHA.

Recommend 0

idealist

May 29, 2013 02:25pm

Which is the other NA seat? anxiously waiting to know,,Fingers crossed !

Recommend 0

Shahzad

May 29, 2013 02:44pm

How about the rest of the questionable seats?

Recommend 0

adnan

May 29, 2013 02:47pm

NAYA Pakistan??Again??

Recommend 0

asn615

May 29, 2013 03:19pm

The decision is appreciated but what about other areas of the country. What about Karachi? Recounting is not of any use i guess but from thumb impressions of these constituencies, i hope people would get to know the truth how PMLN rigged these elections.

Recommend 0

Hasnain Haque

May 29, 2013 03:53pm

Totally agree with you but the problem is it is very difficult to find honest and credible administrators in Pakistan.

Recommend 0

Asad

May 29, 2013 04:58pm

If its not done thru thumb impression verification utility then its useless.

Recommend 0

zee

May 29, 2013 05:52pm

and what about the ballot papers that were stolen, torn, burnt or otherwise trashed??!

Recommend 0

Kohiqaf

May 29, 2013 06:03pm

it is not enough, there must be re-poling in NA constituencies in Karachi as well as other 45 NA Constituencies in Punjab. Domestic and International Establishment including USA and its pet Saudi Arabia have restored NS for their own agenda. This is not election rather it is selection. It is the Government not of the People not for the People and not by the People. This is Government is of the USA for the USA and by the USA.

Recommend 0

Naeem Khan

May 29, 2013 07:14pm

Why I am not able to find this news at any other news source. Not even at ecp.gov.pk

Recommend 0

Fazl Rab

May 29, 2013 07:54pm

When Churchill was asked in 1949 at his Birthday Party by an attending journalist:"What is the best quality that a politician must possess". He replied:"A successful politician must forecast what is going to happen in the next 05 years,and at the end of those 05 years; he must explain to the same people as to why it did not happen. The triumvirate of PML(N) also forecast just last week what is going to happen in the next 05 years but just a week later hastened to explain why it is not going to happen for various resons; cogent or otherwise. You can draw your own conclusions!! The Acid Test? Get the Worldwide bank balances of PML(N) MNA's now and then again when they leave office. And compare those!! incl those of their offshoots like Hamza, Mariam, Kulsoom & Shahbaz.

Recommend 0

P.MOHAMED FAHEEM

May 29, 2013 09:45pm

nawaz sharif should not expect any results from spineless pm like manmohan singh he can wait till the next general elections in india P.MOHAMED FAHEEM

Recommend 0

alfreddume

May 29, 2013 09:46pm

let see how credible is t he Recount and checking of the thumb impression let see Alfred Dume

Recommend 0

Geo

May 30, 2013 09:37am

Seats where total number of votes casts are humanly impossible should be thumb verified also, just to ensure that no hank panky was done and and from thumb impressions we may be able to catch the culprits. It is imperative that we have faith in our voting system.

Recommend 0

Akram

May 30, 2013 09:46am

everyone wants a recount, but no one is willing to pay for it, that pretty much sums up us Pakistanis. If you don't pay tax in Pakistan, with respect you have no right to ask for anything.

Recommend 0

Kamran

May 30, 2013 10:26am

Remember this that from S Block Hamid Khan has won. Don't think that only PTI voters are in the world.

Recommend 0

ASIM NISAR BJAWA

May 30, 2013 10:29am

What about NA 154 where in recounting thousands of discrepancies were exposed.

Recommend 0

Election Guy

May 30, 2013 05:59pm

Cost of re-polling should be charged to ECP, since they failed in providing fair elections, and they have accepted that riigging has happened!

Recommend 0

Haroon

May 31, 2013 05:43am

Whats the other NA seat? And when will this be done? Date? How can you miss these two basic bits of information?

Recommend 0

myatic

May 31, 2013 06:24am

If there was one constituency from Karachi, MQM would be crying "Why only Karachi?".

Recommend 0

Branded Content

The Bank of Punjab signs strategic MoU with Stacks to advance digital remittances and financial innovation

As part of this initiative, the two organisations will also undertake a pilot transaction to explore the use of stablecoins for remittances.

Koç Group’s home appliances company Beko invests $20 million in a manufacturing transformation at Dawlance

The inauguration underscores Koç Group’s continued commitment to advancing industrial capability and long-term investment in Pakistan.

Fatima Fertilizer and Multan Sultans celebrate Title Sponsorship with a grand meet and greet in Karachi

The event brought this partnership to life, giving Fatima Fertilizer’s dealer network and farming community an up-close experience with their cricket heroes.