ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has responded to allegations made by Asad Qaiser, a leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), alleging that the commission changed the results of the recent by-elections.
It is said that the ECP has instructed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to provide a transcript of Qaiser’s statements. Once the transcript is examined the Election Commission will determine whether any legal measures should be pursued concerning the accusations.
Asad Qaiser, addressing the press asserted that the ECP personnel had posted results, on the official site during the by-elections. He conveyed his dissatisfaction describing it as “unfortunate” that these mistakes were happening and accused the commission of damaging the credibility of the process.
“Once again, the true face of the Election Commission has been exposed,” Qaiser stated, adding that if this was the norm, for managing elections it would have been preferable to release a direct notification rather than organizing elections.
This progress occurs during a continuing contempt of court matter in the ECP concerning PTI’s founder, who has earlier expressed worries about the commission’s behaviour in elections.
The Election Commission’s decision to investigate the allegations introduces an element of complexity to the political scenario, especially as the PTI persists in questioning the legitimacy of the election procedure.
PML-N’s Babar Nawaz wins NA-18 Haripur by-poll with huge majority
Earlier on Sunday, PML-N candidate Babar Nawaz Khan was successful in his election bid as he defeated the PTI-backed independent candidate Sheharnaz Omar Ayub with a large margin in the NA-18 Haripur by-election, on Sunday.
According to the unofficial results, Babar Nawaz secured 163,996 votes while Sheharnaz Omar Ayub got 120,220 votes which means that Babar Nawaz was ahead by 43,776 votes. The by-poll was a very close battle that could have gone either way, as both the city and the village of Haripur were voting under strict security cover.
All polling stations’ vote counts were going to be recorded in the Result Management System (RMS) for confirmation, and the last word would belong to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Therefore, the PML-N has strengthened its hold on the area while the candidate supported by PTI could not convert the fan base into votes.
