LAHORE: An inspection of record of a Punjab Assembly constituency, PP-136 (Narowal), has put a question mark on the credibility of the May 11 general elections as well as that of the Election Commission of Pakistan that has been taking credit for holding ‘transparent’ polls in the country.

The inspection ordered by an Election Tribunal shockingly revealed that polling bags of 72 of the 123 polling stations of the constituency were missing from the record at the district treasury. Moreover, many serious discrepancies were found in the record available for the said constituency.

Retired Col Shujaat Ahmad Khan of PML-N was declared the returned candidate from the constituency. An independent runner-up candidate Muhammad Wakeel Khan Manj challenged the victory of Mr Khan.

Mr Manj accused the PML-N candidate of committing rigging on the day of polling and sought inspection of the record. On the appeal of Mr Manj, the election tribunal ordered inspection of the record and appointed a retired sessions judge, Malik Ghulam Hussain, as commission to do the job.

The commission requisitioned election record of 15 polling stations of PP-136 from the district treasury and inspected the material in the presence of both sides. In his report, the retired judge stated that ballot papers and counterfoils of polling station No 73 were found missing whereas counterfoils of polling stations No 60 and No 69 were also missing.

Moreover, the ballot papers polled to all the candidates of the constituency at polling stations No 48 and No 61 were not available in the election bags.

And counterfoils of at least five polling stations were without stamp and signature of the issuing officer.

In his report the retired judge said: “It is shocking and painful to bring on record that polling bags of only 36 out of the remaining 108 polling stations were available in the district treasury, Narowal.”

The authorities concerned maintained that no other election record of the said constituency was available in the district treasury. Therefore, the process of inspection could not be completed, the report said.

The district returning officer/sessions judge of Narowal also failed to locate and produce the missing polling bags of 72 polling stations.

Expressing serious concern over the commission’s report, the one-man election tribunal (Kazim Ali Malik) posed some serious questions which must be answered before further proceedings in the case.

The tribunal said the first question that must be answered was whether the presiding officers of 72 polling stations had returned the election bags to the returning officer. Moreover, did the returning officer deposit 123 election bags of the constituency after consolidation of results with district accounts officer/in-charge of the district treasury, Narowal?

The tribunal observed that it had become necessary to determine whether the returning officer or in-charge of district treasury misappropriated polling bags of 72 polling stations.

The tribunal, therefore, summoned returning officer of PP-136 and in-charge of the district treasury, Narowal, to explain their position in the case so that the controversy with regard to misappropriated or stolen polling bags could be resolved. The tribunal will resume hearing on Jan 13.