ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) – The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday ordered National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to verify the voters in a case related to rigging allegations in NA-110 Sialkot.
Federal Minister for Water and Power and Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif was declared winner in the constituency in 2013 general elections, however PTI’s Usman Dar challenged the election result hurling rigging allegations.
The court directed NADRA to verify the thumb impressions of voters on counter foils and sumbit its report to the apex court in three months.
The court also remarked that election tribunal had rejected Usman Dar, the opponent candidate who challeneged of Khawaja Asif in NA-110, without any reason. Dar’s demand to verify voters was unobjectionable, it said.
Khawaja Asif contested 2013 general elections on PML-N ticket and bagged 92803 votes while PTI’s Usman Dar got 71525 votes.
The NA-110 is one of the four constituencies where PTI chairman Imran Khan had demanded vote audit in 2013 after he came up with rigging allegations for the first time.
Other three constituencies included NA-122, NA-154 and NA-125. The tribunals declared election in the three constituencies as null and void and ordered Election Commission of Pakistan (ECp) to hold re-election.
PTI won NA-154 in the by-poll while PML-N retained NA-122 in re-election. Khawaja Saad Rafique moved SC against tribunal’s order in NA-125 and the case is still pending in the apex court.
