A highly dangerous development

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  • Questioning the credibility of the polls

Former PML-N federal minister  Marriyum Aurangzeb has leveled serious charges of  violation of election rules  at a number of polling stations. She claimed at   an emergency press conference  that Form 45 was withheld from the polling  agents of the PML-N candidates at these polling stations   which is a violation of  election rules. . Further that the PPP candidates’ polling agents were not allowed to enter some of the polling stations.  Also that  that  doors of the polling stations were closed indicating that some mysterious activity was going on inside. Similar complaints were made a little later by former federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal. The PMLN made it known that the development had made the  polling exercise questionable

What makes the allegations all the more serious is that these were not confined to the PML-N. In Sind  the PPP,  MQM-P and PSP have also claimed that their polling agents were not allowed inside some polling stations  and were  not provided Form 45.  According to the PPP, Bilwal Bhutto’s polling agents  are untraceable.

The Punjab Election Commissioner and a number of local ECP officials   have s meanwhile rejected the allegations that PML-N agents were thrown out of polling stations. The ECP says that, according to election rules,  only one candidate or polling agent from each party is allowed to be present at the counting of th ballot papers. Nothing was said   about the charge regarding withholding  of Form 45

Hours before official declaration of results by the ECP, PTI central spokesman Fawad Chaudhry announced his party’s victory on the media, congratulating Imran Khan for becoming the  PM. A similar announce,et by Nawaz Sharif after 2013 polls was produced by Imran Khan as a proof of rigging

There is a need on the part of ECP to take a serious note of the complaints. Many will need to know  why a number of parties, mostly at daggers drawn over political issues, have come out with identical accusations . In case individual polling   officials indulged in violating the election regulations, the best way would have been to take action against them.  Unfortunately till late night there was no promise of an enquiry from the ECP.