Over 90,000 NA-122 votes unverified: legitimacy of 2013 elections on the line

National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has submitted its forensic report before the Election Tribunal in response to a petition of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, pointing out massive irregularities and discrepancies in NA-122, a constituency that elected Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. The tribunal summoned DG Nadra to record his statement on May 16.
The Tribunal on March 4 had allowed the petition of Imran Khan and ordered Nadra to carry out verification of voters' thumb impressions. Nadra stated that 93,852 out of total 184,151 votes cast in the constituency were unverified. Moreover, only 73,478 votes were verifiable while 6,123 ballot papers carried wrong CNIC numbers.
The report showed that 370 counterfoils were having no CNIC numbers while 255 voters had imposed thumb impressions twice on counterfoils and 1715 votes had no thumb impression on counterfoils, it said. The forensic report further said that 136,000 votes were not verified through electoral rolls. Tribunal Judge Kazim Ali Malik handed over the copies of report to the counsel for both sides. On February 15, 2015, Imran Khan filed a petition before the election tribunal and pleaded the court to order Nadra to carry out verification of voters' thumb impressions. Imran Khan had also deposited Rs 1,834,000 in a local bank in favour of Nadra to start inspection of voters' thumb impressions. Nadra charged rupees ten against verification of each vote cast while 183,000 votes could be verified.
A local commission had already submitted its report wherein many discrepancies were found. However, the PTI Chief Imran filed another application in the tribunal, praying that voters' thumb impressions be verified through Nadra. Imran Khan had challenged the victory of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq alleging that massive rigging was made in the constituency. Ayaz Sadiq had bagged 93,389 while Imran Khan had obtained 84,517 votes.
INP adds: Election tribunal judge Kazim Malik sent the record of 284 polling stations of NA-122 for verification to Nadra. A report comprising 781 pages was submitted in the tribunal after a two-month investigation. According to NADRA report, a total of 1,84,151 votes were to be examined in which 73,478 votes were verified through thumbprints whereas 93,582 remained unverified.
The report states that identity card numbers on 6123 ballot papers turned out to be invalid while ID card numbers were not listed on 370 counterfoils. Besides, the ID card numbers of 255 voters were written twice on counter foils whereas 1715 were the ballots that do not have thumbprints on counterfoils. It was also found out that 570 votes cast were not registered in NA-122 constituency. Furthermore, the report also reveals that 136,000 votes remained unverified through electoral rolls.