KARACHI: The returning officer of NA-196 (Jacobabad) has informed an election tribunal in Sukkur that apparently, presiding officers of 57 polling stations were involved in tampering with ballots.

The RO Ghulam Ali Kanasiro said in report on vote recount and rechecking of election record of NA-196 submitted recently to the tribunal that 165 ballot paper books (15,100 ballot papers) were found missing at 57 polling stations as their presiding officers had the record disappeared or handed over to someone interested in election process.

The tribunal had ordered vote recount after many hearings of a petition filed by Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Aijaz Jakhrani in 2018 challenging the victory of federal minister for privatization and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Muhammedmian Soomro on NA-196.

PTI’s Muhammedmian Soomro had won NA-196 (Jacobabad)

The RO said that they had tampered with the papers by causing disappearance of ballot paper books, counterfoils, valid/invalid votes as pointed out at relevant polling stations, said the report.

The report contended that the number of ballot paper books was more than the number of books mentioned in packaging invoice, which showed the presiding officers had compromised due process of election for their ulterior motives and it was clearly evident that valid votes were destroyed or stolen or included in favour of a contestant.

“I am of considered view that the act of presiding officers and assistant presiding officers of polling stations, pointed out above, appears to rig the process of election and its outcome, for the reasons best known to them, for which Honourable Election Tribunal can take any action as it deemed fit and proper,” it concluded.

Mr Soomro had won the NA-196 seat by securing 92,307 votes in the 2018 general election while Mr Jakhrani was runner-up with 86,881 votes. After the vote recount, ordered on Mr Jakhrani’s application, Mr Soomro was found to have 88,542 and the PPP candidate with 83,896 votes.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2022