It’s been 19 days since the nation-wide general elections were held on February 8 but the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is apparently still indulged in manipulating the results and further tarnishing the credibility of already tainted and most controversial polls in the Country’s history.
Sources said that the new pattern of altering the elections results is part of a strategy to enhance the number of Seats in the National Assembly seized by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as a result of large-scale rigging or manipulation in recent general elections to somehow strengthen its weak position in the Centre.
They said that PTI may lose yet again 10 to 12 further National Assembly Seats though fresh tactics being applied by PML-N in collusion with the ECP.
The latest victim of the election rigging became the PTI-backed Independent Candidate Rana Muhammad Faraz Noon who won the February 8 election from NA-154 Lodhran by securing 134,937 votes against his rival PML-N’s Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju who managed to bag 128,438 votes.
The Form 47 of the NA-154 Lodhran Constituency issued by the ECP shows that Rana Faraz Noon won the polls with a margin of 6,499 votes while during the counting process, 7,803 votes were rejected.
Later not only Forms 45, 47, 48, and 49 affirmed his victory in the election but it was also notified by the ECP and he was registered as a Member of National Assembly.
However, according to Rana Faraz Noon, he was told on Sunday evening – 18 days after the elections and Election Tribunals having been established – that an application had been accepted for a recount in NA-154. He said that in the meantime, neither any one from the ECP approached him nor his opinion was sought at all.
لودھراں #NA154 سے تحریک انصاف کے رانا فراز نون 8 فروری کو کامیاب ہوئے، ریٹرنگ آفیسر نے فارم 47 جاری کیا، الیکشن کمیشن نے فارم 48، 49 بھی جاری کیے۔ فارم 45، 47، 48، 49 کے مطابق رانا فراز جیت چکے، الیکشن کمیشن کے دیے تمام نوٹیفکیشن انکے پاس ہیں، قومی اسمبلی میں انکی رجسٹریشن بھی… pic.twitter.com/s6pjJE17ET
— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 26, 2024
To everyone’s surprise, in the recounting process held in NA-154 Constituency, the number of rejected votes soared to 20,816 from 7,803 as previously mentioned in Form 47 and the number of valid votes obtained by the winner Rana Faraz Noon were reduced by 14,254 votes to 120,683 from previously 134,937 votes.
Thus, the lead of 6,499 votes – which Rana Faraz Noon had over Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju according to the official result announced by the ECP – was turned around and Kanju was declared winner by a margin of 7,301 votes.
Ironically, the malpractice by the ECP doesn’t seem to be ending anywhere as now PTI is likely to lose another National Assembly Seat as well as a result of recounting in NA-97 Faisalabad.
The Independent Candidate backed by PTI Muhammad Saad Ullah Baloch won the February 8 election from NA-97 Constituency by securing 72,614 votes.
Sources said that Saad Ullah Baloch was pressurized to switch his political allegiance to PML-N but now upon his refusal, he is likely to face the consequences and his rival PML-N’s Ali Gohar Khan may be declared winner from the said Constituency by manipulating the result in the recounting.
Na97 تاندلیانوالہ ہمارے ایم این اے سعداللہ بلوچ ہیں۔ پہلے فارم 47 دینے کے لیے مختلف آفرز اور بیلک میلنگ جاری رہی پھر اس کو 50 کروڑ کی آفر دی گئی وہ نہیں مانا، دھمکیاں دی گئیں، فیملی، کاروبار کی طرف سے بلیک میل کیا گیا لیکن وہ ڈٹا رہا۔
آج نوٹیفیکیشن ہو جانے کے باوجود الیکشن کمیشن…— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) February 26, 2024
Also Read: PTI-backed successful candidates forced to join PML-N, IPP & PPP
It’s also worth noting that the ECP hasn’t yet notified all the elections results especially of Constituencies from where PTI-backed Candidates won including NA-15 Mansehra wherein PTI’s Shahzada Muhammad Gushtasap Khan defeated the three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Additionally, the ECP hasn’t allotted reserved seats to PTI though its successful Candidates have now joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as well as the Election Commission fails to upload Forms 45s on its website, violating the Election Act 2017 which bounds the electoral body to publish documents on its website within 14 days of polls.
