KARACHI: Two Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed independent candidates approached the district and sessions judge (West) on Monday, seeking directives for the registration of FIRs against the returning officers (ROs) of NA-242 and NA-243 for the alleged fraud during the Feb 8 elections.

The candidates, Dawa Khan from NA-242 and Advocate Shujaat Ali Khan from NA-243, submitted the applications under Section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), seeking instructions for the respondents, SP of the Complaint Cell (West) and SHO of SITE-A police station, to initiate cases against the polling staff of the said constituencies.

In his application, Dawa Khan claimed that according to Form-45s available to him, bearing signature, thumb impressions with CNIC numbers of the concerned presiding officers and polling agents, he had secured 53,910 votes while Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) candidate Mustafa Kamal bagged 24,283.

In addition, Shujaat claimed to have received 49,294 votes while his opponent Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Abdul Qadir Patel, secured 43,045 votes.

But according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), both PTI leaders finished as runners-up in the elections, with NA-242 won by the MQM-P candidate who secured 71,767 votes while the PPP candidate bagged 60,266 from NA-243.

Counsel for Mr Dawa alleged that on the election night, his client, along with Karachi Bar Association members and party workers, attempted to access GCT College for official results. But police stopped them.

They cited alleged malpractices by polling staff, including District Returning Officer (DRO) Junaid Iqbal, Returning Officer (RO) Kanwar Kausar, Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) Ismail Awan, and Abdul Majid, who were purportedly involved in forging Form-47s with the intent to alter official documents.

On the other hand, Shujaat stated that the DRO and RO Zahoor Ahmed Mari had tampered with various Form-45s through ‘overwriting and cutting’ and managed forged and fabricated forms with the intention of fraud. He also highlighted that they had misused their official status and violated the rules of the Constitution.

He also contended that it was the ECP’s obligation to upload Form-45s within 14 days after the election, but claimed that the forms uploaded on March 5 were dubious.

Both leaders informed the court that they had approached the respondents to lodge complaints against the returning officers and to record their statements under Section 154 of the CrPC. However, they alleged that those complaints were not duly acknowledged. They requested the court to provide the available legal remedy.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2024