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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission will take up on Tuesday a petition seeking to declare null and void the result of the by-election held on Feb 25 for the Sindh Assembly seat, PS-57 Tando Mohammad Khan.
The commission withheld the result after PPP candidate Waheeda Shah Bukhari was shown by TV channels slapping an assistant presiding officer and another election staffer at a polling station and ordered an inquiry into the incident.An FIR was registered against Ms Bukhari on the instructions of the commission. The 18-point petition has been filed by Mushtaq Ali Talpur, an independent candidate who secured second highest number of votes in the by-election.
The petitioner accused Federal Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, his son Qasim, District Education Officer Ashraf Memon, District Health Officer Nisar Memon, SSP Mohammad Ali and Deputy Commissioner Barkat Ali Rizvi of being involved in and allowing massive rigging in the vote.
Mr Talpur claimed that about 100 of his polling agents were apprehended by police and taken away to far-flung areas where they were subjected to torture.
He said that not only the police had helped the PPP candidate but also forced his female agents to leave the polling station.
He said Ms Bukhari tortured the assistant presiding officer and other women staff when she along with DSP Irfan Shah visited the polling station.
