LAHORE: A local commission on Saturday completed inspection of election record of NA-122, the constituency from where National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq got elected in 2013 general election.

The election tribunal had ordered the inspection on a petition of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan, the runner-up candidate from the constituency. Mr Khan alleged that Mr Sadiq rigged 2013 election.

The commission, headed by a retired sessions judge Ghulam Hussain, took 14 days to conclude the inspection of total 287 polling stations of the constituency. Government schools’ teachers nominated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) assisted the local commission in the process.

The inspection was carried out in the presence of representatives from both sides (PML-N and PTI). Both sides claimed that their stance stood vindicated after the votes’ audit. However, sources said the commission found some 135 more votes cast in favour of Mr Sadiq. The commission will submit its report to the election tribunal next week. Talking to media persons, Ali Ayaz, the representative of Mr Sadiq, said Imran Khan should honour the outcome of the inspection with an open heart.

Shoaib Siddiqui, the representative of PTI chief, said the inspection found thousands of ‘fake’ votes. He said around 30,000 counterfoils of the ballots issued to the voters did not bear signatures of polling staff. He further said the ballots of NA-124 were also recovered from the record of NA-122.

Speaking at a press conference, Punjab government’s spokesman Syed Zaeem Qadri also asked Imran Khan to accept the inspection findings. He said charges of rigging leveled by the PTI proved bogus after the inspection process.

The election tribunal on Saturday ordered inspection of two polling bags of NA-125, Lahore, the constituency from where railway minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq got elected, found in NA-122 record.

The returning officer (RO) concerned and the district treasury officer submitted a report to the tribunal about the recovered bags. These bags had been missing from the record of district treasury.

Inspection of the NA-125 record had already been carried out on the direction of the tribunal. Runner-up candidate of PTI, Hamid Khan, had sought scrutiny of the record and recounting of votes, alleging rigging on part of the PML-N’s returned candidate.

Counsel for Imran Khan asked the tribunal to inspect the two polling bags itself instead of getting them inspected by the local commission. The tribunal admitted the request and fixed Jan 9 and Jan 10 for the inspection of the bags.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2015

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