KARACHI, Oct 12: The Election Tribunal Karachi on Saturday directed Farooq Sattar, a member of the National Assembly and central leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and other respondents to file their replies in an election petition against the election of the MQM leader to the NA-249 constituency.
The petition challenging the election results was filed by the runner-up candidate in the constituency, Abdul Aziz Memon of the Pakistan Peoples Party, alleging massive rigging at certain polling stations in the constituency.
The tribunal, headed by former judge of the Sindh High Court Zafar Ahmed Sherwani, put off the hearing to Oct 24.
Dr Sattar had bagged 109,952 votes and Mr Memon 64,974.
The petitioner alleged that polls were massively rigged in the constituency and asked the court to declare the NA-249 election results void.
He also impleaded the Election Commission of Pakistan and the returning officer concerned as respondents.
Meanwhile, the same tribunal gave more time to the respondents to file their comments/objections on a report of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) submitted in the tribunal in an election petition challenging the election results of the NA-256, another National Assembly seat won by MQM candidate Iqbal Mohammed Ali Khan. His victory was challenged by runner-up candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Mohammed Zubair Khan.
Nadra was sent thumb impressions on 84,748 ballots of the NA-256 constituency for verification. It revealed that only 6,815 thumb impressions on the ballots could be successfully authenticated, while the thumb impressions on 57,642 ballots could not be compared or matched through the Nadra system because the fingerprints were of very poor quality apparently due to a lack of essential properties of the ink and inkpad used in the process of balloting. Besides, the report disclosed that 11,343 counterfoils contained invalid computerised national identity card numbers, never issued by Nadra.
Iqbal Mohammed Khan, represented by Advocate Abrar Hussain, moved the SHC against the tribunal and Nadra for verification of thumbprints on ballots and voter lists asking the court to set aside the tribunal’s order and declare the Nadra report false and illegal.
He contended that the Nadra report could not be relied upon as it had itself shown its inability to verify the votes due to use of poor quality ink in the polling process.
On Saturday, the counsel for the MQM MNA sought time to file objections on the Nadra report regarding the verification of thumbprints.
The election tribunal also issued a notice to the PTI’s runner-up candidate to file his comments on the Nadra report.
The same tribunal put off the hearing of an election petition against the election of Manzoor Wassan of the PPP to the PS-32, a provincial assembly seat in Khairpur.
The petition against the PPP MPA was filed by runner-up candidate Mir Shahnawaz Talpur.
The petitioner assailed the election results and alleged that the PPP candidate and his supporters resorted to massive rigging in the polling.
The hearing was adjourned after the returning officer concerned filed his statement.