Taking suo motu notice of alleged rigging in by-elections at PP-150, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday issued notices to all contesting candidates.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers have been accusing Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) of rigging during PP-150 elections. However, PML – N has denied accusations saying ‘PTI has no courage to accept mandate’.
During the by-elections on August 22, PP-150 witnessed a tough contest between PML-N’s Mian Marghoob Ahmed and PTI’s Meher Wajid Azeem. After a vigorous fight, PML-N’s candidate won the seat with a narrow margin; he got 18,870 votes while PTI’s Azeem bagged 18,494 votes.
However, PTI, after hurling rigging allegations, denied to accept the result and started protest demonstrations in the city at The Mall.
ECP has decided to hear PTI’s case on August 28. Acting CEC Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani would head the five-member ECP committee.
According to the ECP’s notice, “We have examined the order of the returning officer of PP-150 Lahore–XIV whereby the application of Mehr Wajid Azeem, contesting candidate from the said constituency for recount was dismissed. In first part of the order, the returning officer has taken note of all the allegations made and arguments addressed on behalf of the counsel for the said candidate and of the counsel for Mian Marghoob Ahmed. Surprisingly while dismissing the application the returning officer prima facie has not attended to all those allegations and has based his order primarily only on one contention of the applicant. The notice said that the case required further probe.
