LAHORE: Corroborating the claims about rigging in the 2013 general elections, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has revealed that votes’ verification in just six polling stations of PP-147 shows that 3,267 of the 4,726 votes could not be verified.

Presenting Nadra’s report received from the Election Commission of Pakistan at a press conference here on Saturday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Lahore President Abdul Aleem Khan said more than 69pc of the votes polled in six polling stations in PP-147 were bogus.

“The huge difference of invalid votes in just six polling stations shows that PTI candidate Shoaib Siddiqui was a winner and his defeat was manoeuvered with just 6,000 votes’ difference,” he observed.

Imran wants complete audit of general election results

He said there were 117 polling stations in PP-147 that fell under NA-122, the seat contested by PTI chief Imran Khan. The provincial assembly constituency was part of the four National Assembly constituencies, where the PTI had been demanding votes’ and thumb verification since the election results were announced.

Aleem Khan said the tribunal judge had ordered verification of six polling stations (11, 59, 60, 70, 82 and 83) to start with. He said the judge had agreed that votes in more polling stations would be verified, if discrepancies would be reported in the six polling stations.

Explaining the Nadra report, the PTI leader said 4,726 votes were polled in six polling stations according to the returning officer’s report but 3,768 votes were found from the seven bags. He said Nadra identified that the CNIC numbers written on 696 vote counterfoils were bogus.

It also reported that there were 1,590 vote counterfoils that carried fingerprints of bad quality affixed on used counterfoils due to non-utilisation of proper ink.

The party chief, he said, had knocked on every forum during the last more than one year but all in vain. Those who had stolen the masses’ mandate were in the saddle and did not want their crime to be exposed, he said.

He said the Election Tribunal would discuss the latest Nadra report in its next hearing.

Aleem Khan also pointed out that some Nadra officials were now busy in altering record to conceal the rigging in the elections. He said Imran Khan had even identified officials, who were altering Nadra record in the basement of a university in Islamabad.

“The available verification of results and post-rigging activities by the government are the basic reasons that prompted Mr Khan to call for the verification of all results across the country,” Aleem Khan asserted.

Answering a question about the PTI’s plan for Azadi March on Aug 14, he claimed that hundreds of thousands of people would join the march from Lahore. He said things would be clear early next month.

He said the army chief would not become part of any conspiracy of the political government against struggle for justice and true democracy.

PTI leaders Shoaib Siddiqui, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Farrukh Javed Moon and others were also present.

Published in Dawn, July 20th , 2014