ECP withholds NA 249 results, to hear recount request

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has accepted the request  of PML-N candidate Miftah Ismail for a recount of votes  for a hearing.  

According to a notification by the ECP, the hearing will be held on May 4, and notices have been sent to all respondents.

In the meanwhile, the ECP has issued an order, withholding results of the by-poll.

Ismail wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner seeking a vote recount in NA-249.

The PML-N has also requested the ECP to conduct a forensic audit of the votes in the NA-249 constituency.

Miftah Ismail alleged in the letter that presiding officers from 34 polling stations did not WhatsApp the results. Ismail said that the party “did not receive results from more than 30 polling stations”.

PMLN leader further alleged, “We have serious concerns about the behaviour of some presiding officers.”

He claimed that many Form 45s were not signed and that the counting of votes on the Form 45 given to the party is different from the forms issued by the Returning Officer, which were not provided to them.

The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) reported 143 violations of election laws during the NA-249 by-elections in Karachi, in a report on the polls released Friday.