Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has halted the NA-71 constituency’s final results, in which PML-N leader Khawaja Asif was proclaimed the election’s victor on February 8.
A report was sought by the ECP from the relevant returning officer (RO) in response to claims of anomalies and disparities in the election process.
The commission in Islamabad, in response to an appeal submitted by Rehana Dar, a candidate backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the NA-71 Sialkot seat, rescheduled the hearing on this topic till February 14. Regarding Rehana Dar’s request, the commission sent a notice to the RO and requested a response.
Rehana Dar’s attorney stated that differences were found between the results on Form 45 and Form 47. Form 45 was said to show a victory for Dar with a lead of 50,000 votes, but Form 47, which was created by the RO, was said to show a defeat by 47,000 votes.
A updated Form 47 was also published to the election commission’s website on Monday afternoon, according to the counsel, casting doubt on the accuracy of the electoral data.
Rehana Dar’s attorney attested to the fact that their request stayed the same in spite of the update when questioned about how the revised Form 47 would affect it during the hearing.
The Election Commission’s resolve to guaranteeing equity and openness in the voting procedure is demonstrated by its decision to stop the results and reschedule the hearing. The Commission’s actions emphasise how critical it is to handle claims of anomalies in order to maintain the integrity of the voting process, even as interested parties wait for further information.
As the Election Commission continues its inquiry into the disputed NA-71 results and awaits the RO’s answer, more updates on the situation are expected.
