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ECP started receiving 2013 poll results after midnight

Nawaz Sharif allegedly made his ‘victory speech’ too early.

Islamabad — The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) admitted before the inquiry commission on Monday that it had not received the unofficial results of any national or provincial assembly constituency before the alleged victory speech of Nawaz Sharif on May 11, 2013.

Director-General Elections Sher Afgan said the ECP had received the first unofficial result after midnight from Lower Dir.

This proves that Sharif’s speech had affected the results of the 2013 general elections, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) task force, told an English daily. “Nawaz Sharif had made his victory speech at 11:30pm,” he said.

Similarly, during the hearing, the District Election Commissioner (DEC), Lahore, Shahbar Abbas Bukhari, who was in the same post during the general elections, also admitted that the printing of ballot papers for NA-125 was different from the normal procedure. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafiq won the election in NA-125, Lahore.

Meanwhile, the PTI counsel Abdul Hafiz Pirzada informed the tribunal that he would decide whether to produce Imran Khan as a witness or not, as so far they are waiting for Form-15, which the election commission had not submitted despite the judicial commission’s direction to file the Form-15 of all the constituencies on June 8. Salman Akram Raja, representing the ECP, informed the tribunal that most of the Form-15 had been obtained, while the rest of them would be procured later.

However, the sources revealed to the newspaper that the commission had sent a questionnaire to the district courts judges regarding the opening of polling bags as well as Form-15.

They also said the reports received regarding Form-15 were a little shocking, wherein different irregularities have been pointed out by the district court judges.

news@khaleejtimes.com