KASUR: The returning officer of NA-140 has turned down PML-N candidate Rana Muhammad Hayat’s plea for a recount and referred the issue to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The nerve-breaking contest between Mr Hayat and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Talib Nakai saw Mr Nakai winner by a narrow margin of 236 votes.

PML-N workers and supporters gathered outside the office of Pattoki returning officer but their hopes dashed down to the ground when the returning officer referred the case to the ECP.

In the earlier result, Mr Nakai bagged 124,621 votes while Mr Hayat secured 124,385 votes while 7,400 votes were rejected in the constituency.

Returning Officer Samia Asad, following the application of Mr Hayat for recount on July 30, referred the case to the ECP on Monday after an email from the ECP.

The orders of the returning officer says the “…notice is hereby given to all the contesting candidates that the recounting of ballet papers of constituency NA-140, Kasur-IV, which was scheduled to be held 30-07-18 at 2pm will not be conducted as per orders of Honourable Election Commission of Pakistan received through an email today at 9.58am as the consolidation proceedings have already been concluded”.

The ECP has already ordered the recount of ballot papers of 26 constituencies, including NA-140.

HONOUR KILLING: A man shot dead her daughter in the name of honor on Monday at Latifpura in the limits of B-Division police station.

Arif Masih shot dead his daughter when she along with a man arrived in a church in Latifpura to walk down the aisle. The would-be groom, however, escaped.

The couple wanted to marry against the wishes of their families.

The accused also fled the scene.

Police sent the body to the Kasur District Headquarters Hospital for autopsy.

Also, a woman committed suicide in Chunian.

Police said ‘R’ wanted to marry the man of her choice but her family forced her to marry a man of her clan. On Monday, she hanged herself with the ceiling fan of her bedroom.

Chunian police shifted the body to hospital to ascertain the cause of death and were looking into the matter from various angles.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2018