ATTOCK, May 16: Recounting of votes in NA-57 Attock-1 was on Thursday evening stayed till Friday by Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench on the application of Sheikh Aftab Ahmed of the PML-N, who had been declared the winner.
However, Malik Amin Aslam of the PTI, the runner-up, informed Dawn that he was provided the LHC order at about 4pmwhereas the RO had stopped the recounting on verbal information in the morning which was against the law.
He said he was going to challenge the order in the same court and vacate the stay order as it was granted without issuing him a notice. He said the recounting had been ordered by the Election Commission of Pakistan on his complaint on Wednesday.
“I don't know why everybody is afraid of vote recounting despite the fact that it is very essential to resolve the prevailing uncertainty and reservations among the public,” he observed.
Mr Aslam in his application to the ECP had alleged systematic rigging and manipulation in the election results. The recounting time was scheduled at 6pm on Wednesday but it was rescheduled to 8am on Thursday due to unavailability of the PML-N winning candidate. At about 8:15am on Thursday, the sealed room of ballot paper bags was opened by Mr Aurangzaib, the RO, in the presence of District Returning Officer Mujahid Mustaqeem Ahmed, applicant Mr Amin and mediapersons. Police and elite force personnel were deployed in and outside the sessions court.
The recounting started with a delay of about two hours at 10am after the late arrival of Mr Aftab. However, there was confusion when Mr Amin suddenly came out of the room and informed the media and his party leaders that the returning officer had stopped recounting soon after opening the first bag of ballot papers on the verbal information about the grant of stay by theLHC.
Mr Amin later told the media that the recounting had been delayed for four times since the evening of May 15. “Even when the first bag was unsealed today at 10am, the recounting was suspended on rumours that the high court had stayed the process on the application of the PML-N leader.”
In reply to a question, Mr Amin said he would approach LHC’s Rawalpindi bench to vacate the stay.