LAHORE, May 16: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Punjab president Ejaz Chaudhry has said massive rigging in elections has ridiculed the masses’ mandate in Punjab and exposed the ‘black deeds’ of the PML-N.

He urged Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ibrahim to come up to the ‘people’s expectations’, otherwise the nation would never forgive him if democracy got derailed due to a protest movement.

Speaking at a news conference at the Lahore Press Club, Chaudhry said it was a matter of grave concern that even the judiciary was not impartial. “This is the second time after the fall of Dhaka that the whole nation is in remorse,” he added.

He was flanked by party’s Punjab secretary general Dr Yasmin Rashid and NA-93 (Toba Tek Singh) candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq.

The party’s provincial president demanded the ECP verify voter thumb impressions all over Punjab. He said PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar was defeated by PTI candidate after vote recount at a few polling stations in Taxila tehsil (PP-7) in Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Ashfaq showed to journalists the ballot papers allegedly seized from his constituency, which he said were to be illegally polled in PML-N’s favour. He also showed video footages, wherein vehicles carrying PML-N flags were seen transporting election material. He demanded the ECP order vote recount in NA-93 and PP-86, PP-87 constituencies.

Ashfaq said the PTI polling agents were pushed out of polling stations and alleged that a man, Fida Hussain, polled some 250 fake votes at a women polling station in 513 GB village. He said a case was registered with the police and the accused confessed his crime. He also described a number of other ‘irregularities and rigging practices’ allegedly committed in his constituency.