Cases filed against FAFEN for misreporting poll results

Punjab police are reported to have registered at least 16 cases against the Fair and Free Election Network (FAFEN), a polling observer organisation, for allegedly misreporting results of some polling stations in the province and releasing them to the media.

Deputy IG (operations) Jawad Ahmad Dogar told reporters on Thursday that up to 10 FIRs had been lodged in as many city police stations on the instructions of district returning officers who stated that the results of some polling stations had been misreported by FAFEN which claimed that the number of votes cast had exceeded the total number of votes.

However, FAFEN’s Chief Executive Officer Mudassir Rizvi said the organisation had already withdrawn its list of ‘controversial’ results of 40 polling stations across the country, including 22 in Punjab. Over 40,000 FAFEN observers were engaged in the exercise.

He said the cases were registered against the organisation after it had pressed the ECP for placing statements of count by presiding officers on its website for the purpose of correction before announcing the results.

Mr Rizvi said that according to his information police had so far nominated him in 16 cases registered in Lahore and Rahim Yar Khan, adding that he did not know if cases had also been registered in other cities. He said section 505 (B) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code had been invoked in the FIR.