ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has claimed that the massive fraud has been unearthed after re-verification of votes in NA-122 Lahore constituency.
An election tribunal on December 8 accepted the PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s request for opening the ballot bags in NA-122 to investigate allegations of rigging in May 2013 general elections, rejecting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s request against opening the bags.
Earlier, it was reported that the margin of victory of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who currently holds the chairmanship of the National Assembly, against Imran Khan in NA-122 even widened after re-verification of votes in NA-122.
It was reported that the cumulative lead of Ayaz Sadiq has increased by 134 votes as compared to the originally declared election result.
However, in a statement on Saturday, the PTI Central Information Secretary Shireen Mazari said that the PML-N spin doctors were brazenly lying to the nation about the massive fraud unfolding in the NA-122 vote audit taking place.
My statement exposing PMLN spin doctoring on NA 122. Audit. https://t.co/gCeBwkx0NG
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 3, 2015
PMLN is claiming bogus votes as Ayaz Sadiq votes BUT fact is NA 122 is undergoing an AUDIT not a vote recount!
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 3, 2015
The PTI central information secretary said that these spin doctors are trying to claim that there is a recount of votes going on in NA-122 and that Ayaz Sadiq’s votes have increased.
“This is a brazen lie as there is a vote audit going on in NA 122 to determine the extent of fraudulent/bogus votes cast in that constituency,” Mazari said.
Mazari said that so far in the audit, 30,000 bogus votes have been found – the same votes PML-N is claiming as Ayaz Sadiq’s “votes”.
Shireen Mazari said that out of 284 polling stations, 100 have no Forms XIV and XV.
In the vote audit so far, three polling bags of NA-124 have been discovered as part of the NA-122 vote record while some polling stations have revealed more ballot papers than counterfoils – proving stuffing of ballot boxes.
In addition, she said that the complete record of NA-122 audit will be out by the end of the coming week and the PTI demands that the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq immediately resign when the report substantiating massive rigging is released.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had won the seat in last year elections from NA-122 by securing 93,362 votes while Imran Khan remained runner up with 84,417 votes.
The NA-122 is one of the four constituencies where the PTI had sought a recount and verification of voters’ thumb impressions.