KARACHI: Questioning the victory of its latest coalition partner Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan on Tuesday demanded a third-party audit of the ballot papers as well as a probe into the incidents of forcing out polling agents from polling stations.

“The paper for printing ballots was imported from abroad. Now the Election Commission should tell us how much paper was used and where are the remaining ballot papers?” senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar told a press conference with fellow leader Kanwar Naveed Jameel.

However, both leaders stopped short of levelling any direct allegation of rigging against the PTI — with which their party had recently signed a nine-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) to forge a coalition at the Centre.

‘Rigging was carried out during counting and not during polling’

The last point of the MoU states: “It is agreed in line, with the statement given by PTI chairman, election audit would take place of any of the constituencies pointed out by MQM(P).”

The MQM-P has considered the PTI a beneficiary of the rigging and it has filed applications against its winning candidates in certain constituencies.

Both Dr Sattar and Kanwar Naveed said the MQM was winning a majority of the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats in Karachi on July 25, but it was defeated through rigging just to favour Imran Khan.

“The rigging was carried out during counting and not during polling,” said Dr Sattar. “This innovative way of rigging will hit the PTI in the next elections.”

In a veiled reference to the establishment’s role in the election, Dr Sattar said that the MQM-P was deprived of its winning seats because of the unexpected return of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif from London.

“A new party would have taken advantage had Nawaz Sharif not returned to Pakistan,” he said, without naming the PTI. Due to Mr Sharif’s return, the position of his party became stronger and this was the reason that “they” took MQM’s winning seats, he alleged.

Dr Sattar, who lost election from NA-245 against PTI’s Aamir Liaquat Hussain, said that the ballot papers which were not used during polling time were stamped in the darkness of night against the MQM and PML-N.

He said that the ballots stamped in favour of the MQM-P were not even counted.

Kanwar Naveed, who emerged victorious from PS-127, said that after 6pm on polling day CCTV cameras installed in polling stations to check rigging were switched off. “This only aims at carrying out rigging.”

He asked why the returning officers did not provide attested copies of Form 45, statement of vote count, to candidates.

Demanding a third-party audit of the imported paper, he said the audit would prove an “unauthorised and illegal” use of the ballot papers.

Dr Sattar said that no recounting took place on MQM’s complaint in any of the constituencies in the city.

He said Khwaja Sohail Mansoor of the MQM lost the election with just 300 votes but neither the election commission nor the Islamabad High Court was listening to his application.

He said that the MQM-P would approach the election tribunals and the Supreme Court.

He said even the PTI was itself surprised and shocked to see its victory in Karachi.

Referring to PTI’s model-turned-lawmaker Abbas Jaffery’s victory from a provincial assembly constituency in Azizabad, Dr Sattar said that the victory of “a model” was even unbelievable for our PTI friends.

Dr Sattar said that it was a matter of satisfaction that Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar also had reservations regarding the elections.

He said the MQM would put all its concern before him if the CJP summoned him.

“The chief justice should ask the authorities why polling agents were forced out,” he said.

As the MQM-P signed a deal with the Imran Khan-led party despite its allegations of rigging, Dr Sattar claimed that the PTI leaders also understood his concerns.

Criticising the Pakistan Peoples Party, he said that Karachi was being meted out a step-motherly treatment by the PPP.

“Karachi must be given a grant for its progress and development,” he said, adding that strengthening the local government system was the main focus of the manifestos of the PTI and the MQM-P.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2018