FIR registered against 150 PML-N workers in Rahimyar Khan, results in PK-80 stopped
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ISLAMABAD: Major political parties have decried the delay in the election results and voiced their fears regarding polling day rigging. Acts of violence have also been reported and cases have been registered against unknown persons.
The PML-N, PPP and MQM have all held press conferences, saying that there were irregularities. On the other hand, some unofficial results have poured in, suggesting that Imran Khan’s PTI is in the lead for the National Assembly seats.
An FIR has been registered against PML-N candidate Imtiaz Ahmed and 150 other workers in Rahimyar Khan for attacking a returning officer’s office.
Zaheer Malik said that the workers held a protest and ended up destroying some property. A cases was registered against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Counting of results was halted in Kohat’s PK-80 after unknown persons entered the polling station in Babri Banda and destroyed it. They also took ballot papers with them and destroyed other papers, reported Basit Gilani.
A complaint against unknown persons has been sent to the Kohat DPO, after which a case will be registered. Requests are being made to hold the elections in the area again.
Supporters of the MMA, a religious parties’ alliance, have been protesting in Bannu for the past three hours against the delay in announcing election results. They have burned tyres and are shouting slogans. They have also blocked a main road in Bannu’s NA-35. They say that election results were purposely withheld to manipulate the results against their leader, Akram Khan Durrani. The protest is still going on as of 1:30pm.
An ASI has been injured during the protests in Bannu.
According to unofficial results, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his son, Maulana Arshad Mehmood, have lost in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
PML-N leader Uzma Bukhari said they are ever-ready to stage a sit-in.
Another PML-N leader, Khawaja Saad Rafique, filed an application against the returning officer in Lahore’s NA-131, where he is contesting against PTI chief Imran Khan.
According to his lawyer, Rafique has won from his constituency but the results are not being issued. Rafique has complained about delaying tactics, reported Jehangir Khan.
PML-N leader Khawaja Asif has submitted an application for a recount in NA-73 Sialkot.
Asif lost to PTI’s Usman Dar. The PTI leader received 113,453 votes and Asif 112,717 votes.
As of 8am, the PTI was in the lead with 114 seats in the National Assembly. The PML-N has 64 seats and PPP 42. This is just 30% of the total vote counted – the final results have yet to be released.
Leading candidates of most parties complained about rigging.
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the ECP had not announced official or unofficial results of the elections in Lahore even five hours after polling ended, which is why they were rejecting the results. The party said that its representatives were prevented from overseeing the count.
Live: Pakistan election 2018 results
“I haven’t seen such a dangerous situation in my political career,” he said. “Our candidates have complained that their polling agents were removed from polling stations. We reject the results.”
The PML-N’s core committee will meet on Thursday (today) to finalise the party’s strategy for protests. “Other parties have also expressed similar concerns,” he said, adding that he would contact them and make a united front to get their grievances addressed.
Shehbaz will also visit former PM Nawaz Sharif in Adiala Jail today.
On the other hand, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza pushed aside allegations of ballot-rigging, saying that the delay in the formal vote count was a technical issue.
The commission has said their new electronic results system suffered unexpected glitches during the counting process.
What is the PTI up to?
With the formation of its government in sight, leaders of the PTI are attending a meeting at Bani Gala. Imran is presiding over the matter. He has become proactive in solving party disputes, including the rift between Jahangir Khan Tareen and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, ahead of the party’s formation of government.
APP