From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued a notice to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed candidate Yasmin Rashid, who has challenged election results of NA-130.
Rashid’s lawyer said she secured a lead of over 20,000 votes after the results of 334 out of 376 polling stations.
She stated her results were tempered in the night with the help of police.
“Our agents were expelled from the polling stations and over 100,000 votes were casted fraudulently in favour of Nawaz Sharif from the remaining 33 polling stations,” she added.
After hearing the arguments, the commission summoned the successful candidate of the constituency and also sought a report from the returning officer.
Earlier, Former advocate general Punjab and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ahmed Awais, has claimed that the PTI-backed candidate Dr Yasmin Rashid was defeated after the final polling results in NA-130 were manipulated in favour of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
While addressing at a press conference accompanied by PTI leaders Sajjad Nabi and Naheed Niazi, here on Monday, Awais said Yasmin Rashid was leading the polls against Nawaz Sharif by 110,000 votes, but in the final results Sharif was declared successful.
“There were a total of 376 polling stations in this constituency and after receiving results of 334 polling stations, Dr Yasmin Rashid was leading with 190,000 votes while the former prime minister was trailing with 80,000 votes. Astonishingly, the final results showed Nawaz Sharif secured 189,000 votes and Dr Yasmin Rashid received 100,400 votes, and subsequently, Sharif was declared winner,” he said, adding: “In 33 polling stations, Sharif got 90,000 votes while Dr Yasmin Rashid only got 2,000 votes.”
According to him, the announcements of the polling results were deliberately stopped after midnight to manipulate them in favour of the former PM. He alleged that the police officers occupied the rooms of the returning officers and also expelled the agents.
“Later, the police used third-degree treatment on the returning officers to force them to change the results,” he added.
He said that a new government based on rigged elections would come into power, which was unlawful and immoral; as in the name of elections, the people’s mandate was manipulated and subsequently, stolen. “Unprecedented rigging took place during the recent general elections,” he added, adding: “The Punjab caretaker government and the Punjab police were fully involved in the rigging.”
He said the CJP should constitute a judicial commission to investigate the rigging.
He said that PTI founding chairman Imran Khan had expressed willingness to hold dialogues with all political parties; but the PTI would not be a part of a coalition government. He suggested that all parties’ conference should be called to isolate other powers in politics.
