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Published 22 Sep, 2018 03:12pm

Sattar, MQM-P leaders allege rigging, challenge election results in SHC

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar and five other party members filed petitions in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Saturday, alleging that their defeat in the recent general elections was a result of rigging.

Amir Moeen Pirzada from NA-241, Waqar Shah from PS-97, Masood Mehmood from PS-98, Asif Ali Khan from PS-126 and Jamal Ahmed from PS-130 also filed petitions, urging the high court to order recounting in their constituencies as they suspected rigging.

Sattar, who had lost from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Aamir Hussain Liaquat from NA-245, cast doubts on the election results saying that MQM-P members who contested elections were not given Form-45. While talking to the media, he claimed that MQM-P members were "forcefully declared as losers" and that the elections were "engineered".

Take a look: NA-245 — a new constituency where Farooq Sattar is pitted against Aamir Liaquat

He also asked why the "presiding officers drove our polling agents out [of the rooms] during the counting process".

"Imran Khan had promised to reopen as many constituencies as we ask," Sattar said and added that he had evidence of rigging in his constituency. He then demanded the video footage of the counting between 7pm-1am.

"They [presiding officers] turned some people's victories into losses and others losses into victories," he said.

Pirzada, in his petition, alleged that ballot papers from his constituency were burned and dumped in a trash heap. He further said that he, along with other petitioners from the MQM-P, lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of Pakistan, but the body "remained silent even after such a huge incident".

Though Sattar highlighted the reservations of MQM-P members who lost the elections, he distanced himself from the other party members at the SHC. He filed his petition separately and did not talk to the other MQM-P leaders who were in the high court building at the time.

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