PK-90: Recounting of postal, rejected votes ordered

PESHAWAR, Sept 2: A two-member election tribunal here on Monday ordered recounting of postal and rejected voted in PF-90 upper Chitral. The recounting in some of the polling stations will be done by a one-member commission on Sept 12. The two-member tribunal issued the recounting order on the appeal of PPP candidate Sardar Hussain. In the May 11 election Ghulam Mohammad of the APML was declared as a winner with a lead of just seven votes. Ghufran Ahmad appeared for the petitioner and contended that the returning officer had erred in not recounting the said two categories of votes which was mandatory under the law. He pointed out that the number of rejected votes was 2,995 whereas the postal ballots were over 2,000. He contended that several votes cast in favour of the petitioner were rejected on flimsy grounds by the concerned presiding officer. The counsel pointed out several flaws in the decision of the returning officer stating that in one of the instance the petitioner had received 37 votes, but it was erroneously mentioned as 17. He stated that similarly, three votes were erroneously put in the ballot box meant for the National Assembly by the voters, which were not counted by the RO and were instead rejected. The petitioner had bagged 10,841 votes against 10,848 of Ghulam Mohammad.]]>