LAHORE: An election tribunal issued on Friday a notice to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on a petition filed by PTI candidate Abdul Aleem Khan alleging irregularities and pre-poll rigging in the NA-122 (Lahore) by-election.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had referred the petition to the tribunal for initial vetting of questions raised in it.

Aleem Khan had lost the Oct 11 by-election to Mr Sadiq.

Also read: PTI probing issue of transferred votes from NA-122: Imran Khan

The petition filed through Advocate Anees Hashmi alleged that at least 30,000 votes had been cancelled and shifted from the NA-122 constituency before the by-poll. It said the ECP had the record of shifting of only 7,000 votes from the constituency, adding that this act of the commission was amounted to pre-poll rigging.

The petition requested the tribunal to set aside the result of the by-election on the grounds of alleged rigging. Rasheed Qamar, a member of the tribunal, directed Ayaz Sadiq to appear in person or through a lawyer to answer the questions raised in the petition.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2015