The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Wednesday revealed that out of the total of 92,000 votes polled in Karachi’s PS-114 (Karachi), 82,000 could not be verified by the government body.
DawnNews reported. The revelation came as Nadra completed the verification process of ballots in the said constituency where only 10,000 of the total votes polled could be successfully confirmed. Son-in-law of former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Irfanullah Khan Marwat (Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz), had been declared as successful candidate from PS-114 defeating Abdul Rauf Siddiqui of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with a margin of around 7000 votes in the May 11 polls. Rauf Siddiqui had filed a complaint against him alleging that Marwat had made the entire polling staff of the constituency hostage and rigged the elections, in blatant violation of the election laws.
Following Rauf Siddiqui’s complaint, the election tribunal had on Aug 3 directed the Nadra to verify the thumb impressions of voters of certain polling stations in PS-114. Marwat had moved court against voter verification Marwat had moved the Sindh High Court after he was aggrieved by the order of the election tribunal, headed by former judge Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, calling for the verification of thumb impressions of voters of certain polling stations in PS-114. The PML-N leader had prayed to the court to set aside the tribunal order and restrain Nadra from verification of thumb impressions of votes. Following the filing of Marwat’s constitutional petition against the verification of thumb impression of voters on ballots in PS-114, the Sindh High Court on Oct 2 had issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Nadra and the respondent Muttahida leader. -Dawn
