ISLAMABAD: As the controversy over Forms-45 not signed by the polling agents in the 2018 general polls intensifies, the PPP has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to make public surveillance camera footage of the constituencies from where party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari contested polls.

The controversy has been sparked by an audit of Form-45. Though experts say that the absence of polling agents’ signatures from Forms-45 is no violation of the law, unless it is proven that they were not allowed to sign the key electoral document, the controversy that started right after election day continues to simmer.

Take a look: What's the big deal with Form 45?

The former senator who is in charge of the PPP election cell, Taj Haider, said in a statement that according to data released by the Free and Fair Election Network, not a single Form-45 on two seats ie NA-246 and NA-200, from where PPP chairman Mr Bhutto-Zardari contested, carried signatures of his polling agents or those of polling agents of any other candidate of any political party.

PPP terms issue pre-poll rigging

On NA-8, the third seat from where Mr Bhutto-Zardari contested, only two Forms-45 carry the signatures of his polling agents. On this seat, the number of Forms-45 signed by polling agents of candidates belonging to four other political parties is also two each. “These three seats from where Mr Bhutto-Zardari contested are enough to indicate a general pattern of counting after throwing out polling agents from all polling stations,” Mr Haider remarked.

Mr Haider called the ECP’s explanation merely another attempt to deceive and confuse the public, adding that all pages of Form-45 have been uploaded on the ECP website. Terming ‘funny’ the ECP’s assertion that in many cases, polling agents signed the Form-45 on the back page, the PPP leader said that not allotting any space on Form-45 for the signature of polling agents was part of pre-poll rigging. Continuing, he said that Section 90(13) of the Election Act 2017 makes it mandatory for presiding officers to provide copies of the results of counts (Form-45) and ballot paper accounts (Form-46), signed by polling agents, to the polling agents and also to “obtain a receipt for such copy.” “Notwithstanding the frivolous assertion that the Forms-45 were signed at their back, can the ECP produce received receipts of copies of these forms, signed by polling agents, from the three NA constituencies from which the PPP chairman contested, or those of any other political party candidate?” asked Mr Haider.

The party election cell authority explained that the provision of installing surveillance cameras in polling stations “to record poll proceedings, the counting of vote processes and the preparation of results by the presiding officer” under Section 59(12) had been extended by the ECP to all sensitive polling stations. “Can the ECP make public any recording of the surveillance cameras covering the counting of vote processes and the preparation of results by presiding officers in the constituencies contested by the PPP chairman,” he challenged. In addition, he alleged, violations of law that had taken place in the electoral constituencies contested by the PPP chairman represented the general pattern of violations committed with impurity all over Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2018