MANSEHRA: The returning officer for PK-40 on Friday ordered probe into ‘discrepancies’ in the Form-45 after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed candidate alleged the results were changed against him despite the fact that he was winning.

Charged PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers pelted each other with stones outside the district control room established at the postgraduate college in Doraha area, creating a law and order situation.

Outside the control room, PTI-backed contender Abdul Shakoor Khan alleged that according to the Form-45 issued by the presiding officers of each polling station in his constituency, he was winning, but alleged that the PML-N candidate got the results changed in his favour.

The PTI and PML-N activists shouted slogans against each other. A heavy contingent of police deployed in and around the district control room baton-charged the protesting workers and also fired teargas canisters to disperse them.

According to the Form-47 issued by the returning officer, PTI-backed contender Abdul Shakoor secured 43,680 against 44,012 votes polled by PML-N aspirant Sardar Shahjehan Yusuf.

The election commission had established the control room at the postgraduate college to collect results from presiding officers.

The RO later in the day issued an order asking the PTI and PML-N contenders and other relevant people to appear in his office/court on Saturday (today) for reviewing the figures mentioned in the Form-45.

“Abdul Shakoor has alleged that he had returned successful as per the Form-45, but was declared unreturned erroneously in the Form-47. So, in light of his allegations, we are going to hold a probe into the alleged discrepancies as there is a thin difference of 332 votes between the winner and the runner-up,” the RO order said.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2024