ISLAMABAD, May 13: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Irshad Hasan Khan on Thursday stayed the publication of official results of by-elections to three National Assembly and one provincial assembly seats in Karachi pending an inquiry into alleged 'grave irregularities' and violence in Wednesday's polling.

The CEC appointed Election Commission member Justice Mohammad Sadiq Leghari to hold a summary inquiry into the allegations of irregularities in the NA-240 Karachi-II, NA-243 Karachi-V, NA-246 Karachi-VIII and PS-127 Karachi-XXXIX constituencies after issuing notices to all contesting candidates, the Sindh provincial home secretary and the provincial polling officer, a commission statement said.

It said the staying of publication of the results of the polling in these constituencies in the official gazette "till finalization of the summary inquiry" would not affect the consolidation of results by returning officers concerned.

"There has been allegations and counter-allegations both by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as to the commission of grave irregularities during the by-elections in Karachi, which cannot be disposed of unilaterally without hearing the contesting candidates," it said.

The statement said the Election Commission had received 80 complaints on the polling day from both the MMA and the MQM, accusing each other of committing irregularities.

It said the MMA accused MQM workers of committing grave irregularities in constituencies NA-240, NA-243 and NA-246 by not allowing MMA polling agents to enter polling stations, burning election camps of rival candidates, forcibly trying to occupy polling booths to cast bogus votes and resorting to firing.

The MQM lodged complaints of irregularities in the same constituencies by MMA workers, accusing them of resorting to indiscriminate firing at MQM workers sitting in their election camp and stopping MQM voters from casting their votes, it said.