Nadra reports throw up interesting data

[Jolie]

I know some people love to write long thesis on Imran said this, or Imran said that, and how Imran is not a promised messiah they were waiting for.

But no one can deny that only because of one man’s reckless struggle, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, a comprehensive rigging investigation is taking place and performance of NADRA and ECP are under the microscope. Cries of rigging marked every single elections in Pakistan, but only now someone decided to do something about and take the issue to its logical proceeding.

Before anyone starts giving self important lectures on how much they know so much about rural/urban politics and how their crystal ball shows no chances of PTI winning. Honestly, possibility of re-elections or PTI’s second victory is besides the point now - yes that magical moment is over. The point here is that it has been proven how ECP - the institution responsible for delivering democracy is utterly incompetent. Its rules and procedures, people and data management is so open to abuse. Just look at the number of totally unverified votes and bad finger prints? It’s shocking. Votes being found in rice and wheat bags, extra ballot papers being printed. Seal ballot bags found split open with sharp objects…why all these things happened? Why? Should they be acceptable? Why those who shout the loudest about the ‘system’ go all mum on condemning such practices?

Well done to Imran Khan and PTI for raising so much awareness on the issue of electoral rigging. They put everything at stake to get this investigation. Like Aitzaz Ahsan said in the assembly - Imran Khan has come so far, he has raised the bar so high and changed and challenged to many things that even if he returns empty handed, no one will call him a loser because he had the courage to fight and he fought hard against all odds.

Thanks to PTI’s struggle, people know understand and appreciate the sanctity of their vote. They know what form 15 is all about, and the importance of Electoral Reform. The fact that there is a generation in Pakistan who now firmly believes that it is not democracy if there’s electoral rigging. No nonsense talk about ‘system’ should trivialize rigging and make it look like just another part of ‘democracy’. This moral and intellectual bankruptcy needs to be shunned.

ISLAMABAD: Pre-scan reports from 40 different constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies — prepared by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) — have revealed some interesting facts.

The three-judge inquiry commission, headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, had ordered Nadra to submit the pre-scanning reports at the request of PTI counsel Abdul Hafeez Pirzada to help establish how many ballot papers were used in these constituencies.

Some of the results from the reports suggest that in the case of the National Assembly constituency NA-258 Karachi–XX, where PML-N candidate Abdul Hakeem Baloch won the election, the pre-scanning report said the total votes polled was 177,806, but the number of votes polled in the polling stations whose election material was received by Nadra was 32,865, of which 4,680 had invalid CNICs mentioned on the counterfoil, whereas 23,432 had bad quality fingerprints on used counterfoils.

In NA-211 Naushero Feroze-I, where Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi of the National Peoples Party was successful, the total number of votes polled was 162,722, of which 28,962 had bad fingerprints while 8,700 featured invalid CNIC numbers and 373 were duplicate votes.

In NA-256 Karachi-XVIII, which was won by MQM’s Iqbal Mohammad Ali Khan, the total votes polled were 251,399, of which the number of votes polled in stations whose election material was received by NADRA stood at 84,748. Around 11,343 votes had invalid CNICs, 791 were out-of-constituency votes, 5,893 were duplicate votes and 57,642 had bad fingerprints.

In NA-202 Shikarpur-I, where PPP’s Aftab Shahban Meerani won the seat, the total number of votes polled was 140,214, of which 9,600 had bad fingerprints and only 2,302 votes could be biometrically authenticated. There were also 2,283 counterfoils without a CNIC number.

In NA-208 Jacobabad, which was won by PPPP’s Aijaz Hussain Jhakrani, the total number of votes polled was 111,131, of which 13,893 had bad fingerprints, while 10,096 could be authenticated. There were also 3,480 votes with invalid CNIC or CNIC missing.

In NA-200 Ghotki, won by Ali Gohar Mahar of the PPPP, the total number of votes polled was 16,482, of which 24,829 had bad fingerprints. Around 12,647 of the votes were authenticated, while votes with invalid CNICs numbered 4,920.

In NA-118 Lahore, won by Mohammad Riaz Malik of the PML-N, 166, 084 votes were polled, had bad fingerprints and only 15,835 could be authenticated. Nearly 4,043 votes had invlaid or missing CNIC numbers.

In NA-154 Lodhran, which was won by PML-Ns Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch, the total votes polled were 226,619, of which bad quality fingerprints were 122,133 and the authenticated votes numbered 73,707. Around 20,601 votes had a invalid or missing CNIC number.
Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2015