A dark cloud of uncertainty hangs over several National Assembly constituencies as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) grapples with allegations of rigging and irregularities.
NA-15 Mansehra:
- The ECP halted the returning officer (RO) from issuing the final result due to a challenge by the runner-up, Nawaz Sharif, alleging vote manipulation.
- Sharif's lawyer raised concerns that they were not given Form 45 from 125 polling stations, their polling agents were expelled by presiding officers, and an inaccurate Form 47.
- A four-member bench of the ECP, headed by the chief election commissioner, is hearing the case.
Nawaz’s lawyer further alleged that the polling in NA-15 Mansehra was not fair and that the Form 47 issued by the RO was not accurate. He further claimed that Form 47 could not be issued without Form 45.
The lawyer said it was the election commission’s responsibility to ensure a fair and transparent election.
NA-46, 47 & NA-48:
- The ECP has put a hold on issuing the final result notification for all three constituencies, citing ongoing inquiries into potential rigging claims.
PML-N's Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had won from NA-47 with 102,502 votes against independent candidate Shoaib Shaheen's 86,396 votes, while independent candidate Raja Khurram Nawaz had won from NA-48, and later announced to join the PML-N, with 69,699 votes against another independent candidate Ali Bukhari's 59,851 votes.
Similarly, from NA-46, PML-N's Anjum Aqeel had won with 81,958 votes against independent candidate Amir Masood Mughal's 44,317 votes.
Moreover, the ECP has also halted the returning officers concerned from issuing final results for PK-73, 79, 80 and 82 constituencies. Taimoor Saleem from PK-79 and Kamran Bangash from PK-82 had challenged the results in their constituencies.
These developments highlight the seriousness with which the Election Commission is approaching the allegations of electoral malpractices. Transparency and fairness are at the heart of a credible democratic process, and the EC's actions demonstrate its commitment to upholding these principles.
