ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expressed strong dissatisfaction with the outcome of the February 8 elections, asserting that the scale of rigging witnessed during the polls would be etched in the nation’s history.
Raoof Hassan, a spokesperson for PTI, conveyed to reporters in Islamabad that numerous instances of rigging marred the February 8 elections, with many PTI candidates presenting Form 45 indicating their victory.
The elections held on February 8 marked a significant event in Pakistan’s electoral history, yet the results did not align with the expectations of political stakeholders, as no party secured a simple majority.
Despite independent candidates supported by PTI prevailing in the election results, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) asserted its capability to form the government, citing the support of some independent candidates who affiliated with the Nawaz Sharif-led party after the polls.
PTI maintained its stance of having the majority while alleging that the elections were marred by irregularities. The party intends to stage peaceful protests nationwide against the alleged rigging.
Hassan highlighted discrepancies between Form 45, collected from polling stations, and Form 47, the consolidated result, alleging a significant disparity in the vote count for national and provincial assembly seats.
Salman Akram Raja, a candidate from NA-128, criticized electoral authorities, accusing them of facilitating rigging from polling stations to the Returning Officer’s office. He claimed that the will of the voters was manipulated clandestinely.
Raja further lamented restrictions on PTI’s campaigning activities and the removal of the party’s electoral symbol, the ‘bat,’ causing inconvenience to their voters.
Rehana Dar, another PTI candidate who lost to PML-N’s Khawaja Asif from NA-71, alleged mistreatment and called for justice, expressing readiness for a re-election. She denounced the election as unprecedented in her experience and vowed legal action.
Shandana Gulzar asserted that PTI garnered 1.25 million votes from Karachi alone. She criticized the Election Commission’s allocation of seats, claiming discrepancies between the actual results and PTI’s declared success rate.
Seemabia Tahir, a PTI leader, accused polling agents of PTI being expelled from various stations and cited Yasmeen Rashid’s defeat against Nawaz Sharif in NA-130 as evidence of irregularities, noting the sudden shift in results overnight.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
