Daska election declared void
ISLAMABAD: The committee of Pakistan Thursday declared the NA-75, Daska by-election as void and ordered fresh poll/re-poll within the entire constituency on 18, March 2021.
The five-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, announced the order here, to be followed by an in depth one. the decision was announced after resuming hearing Thursday (which was held earlier Tuesday), and reserving the judgment till 3:00pm afternoon in reference to the appliance filed by the PML-N candidate Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar then announced the order.
The commission said within the order, “The arguments heard and record perused. From the perusal of obtainable record produced by the parties, the official also as collected by the commission through different sources, we've come to the conclusion that conducive environment wasn't available for the candidates and voters of the constituency and therefore the poll within the constituency has not been conducted honestly, justly, fairly and during a transparent manner, incidents of murders, firing, injuries, bad law and order situation, creating harassment to voters and other circumstances resulting in make the method of result doubtful/unascertainable. This commission in exercise of powers under Article 218(3) of the Constitution read with Section 9 (1) of the Elections Act, 2017, declares the poll persisted February 19, 2021 in NA-75, Sialkot-IV as void and orders fresh poll/re-poll within the entire constituency on March 18, 2021.”
Additionally, the ECP ordered the Establishment Division to suspend Sialkot’s deputy commissioner and district policeman (DPO) also because the Daska assistant commissioner.
Federal and provincial governments have also been told to suspend the aforementioned three officials also as Daska deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and Sambrial DSP. they're going to also not be appointed for any election duty in future, the statement said.
The body also directed the govt that the Gujranwala Division commissioner and Gujranwala Range regional policeman be transferred from Gujranwala Division and their positions be changed.
The ECP said it might be decided later if the ECP itself will take action against the officials or the govt . The Punjab Chief Secretary and IGP have also been summoned on March 04 for "ignoring their duties" during the NA-75 by-poll.
Reacting to the ECP order or re-poll, the PML-N vice chairman Maryam Nawaz, said, “the people of Daska have gotten back their right, then while pertaining to Prime Minister Imran Khan, she wrote that the fake Sadiq and Ameen (honest and righteous) has been issued the certificate of vote thief through the ECP verdict.
She alleged that Imran Khan also clothed to be a kidnapper. She acknowledged that the question bigger than re-polling remained on where this conspiracy was hatched: whose orders the Chief Secretary , the IGP, commissioner and other officialdom were complying with?
“For transparent polls, it's imperative to carry them accountable,” she remarked. The PML-N leader said that despite the state and therefore the ministers’ coercion and threats, the committee stood its ground and the way it might are difficult for it to announce this decision, which added to its sanctity and credibility.
Meanwhile, her spokesman Muhammad Zubair also spoke to journalists and said that the govt was caught red-handed which the ruling party adopted tactics that even the ECP was surprised at. He continued that the atmosphere in NA-75 on the day of the election wasn't conducive for voters, citing a firing incident during which two people were killed and three were injured.
He accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of being at the forefront of the conspiracy and said that criminal proceedings should be initiated against the latter.
The PML-N candidate Nosheen Iftikhar termed the choice as historic one and thanked her voters for casting their ballots despite being beaten by batons and sticks. “We are ready again to face the vote thieves,” she remarked.
The People Party senior leader and Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani insisted that not only there should re-poll but also those responsible must be punished. He added if the committee succeeded in punishing them, then they might never repeat it again: they ought to be made an example for others.
“The manner of delay can produce to suspicion (that) results were altered,” the ECP's Sindh member skilled him. Then, Barrister Ali Zafar acknowledged that there was no set time for presiding officers to report at the returning officer's office. He said that phone batteries die after a whole day of usage. Upon this, the ECP Member KP quipped, “Did everyone's phone battery die, including the driver's. The PTI lawyer insisted that the RO had requested a re-election in 14 polling stations on the idea of speculation.
He noted that there was no controversy in 337 out of 360 polling stations which an effort was made to prove a rigging conspiracy. consistent with the lawyer, the late arrival of a leader wasn't an illegal thing (on the idea of) which, a re-election should be conducted.
The PML-N lawyer Salman Akram Raja demanded a forensic audit of votes cast within the 20 polling stations whose results are questionable. To this, Barrister Ali Zafar said that it might are better if presiding officers announced the results, and added that a tribunal could are approached after the result was announced. He contended that it had been the tribunal's job to conduct the inquiry, not that of the ECP.
He acknowledged that none of the presiding officers had talked about being kidnapped or falsifying results. The PTI lawyer said that the commission would first need to declare that the presiding officers were lying.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said the govt is proud that the institutions are independent.
“The committee has given a brief decision and that we will consult our legal team on legal options. We try to carry elections on which nobody is in a position to boost a finger,” the minister said while lecture journalists outside the committee secretariat.
Shibli Faraz acknowledged that there's no pressure on the institutions now, and therefore the institutions are completely independent. He said the govt had the resources, but it didn't use any means to place pressure on the institutions. He alleged that PML-N and former governments promoted the politics of rigging and concealment .
“In all the elections held during their tenures, rigging and money were used. These are the people that consider the choices in their favour to be correct and when an equivalent institutions, be it the committee or the courts, rule against them, they are doing not accept it. it's their attitude that losing isn't acceptable to them. we've defeated this mindset and can still do so. More important to us is that the independence of institutions. we would like democracy and development and prosperity of the country,” he said.
Shibli alleged that the PML-N had always engaged in politics of cash and bullying from Changa Manga till now: They destroyed institutions and weakened democracy.
“Today we expect that they need done an excellent deed. we all know what Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal and Javed Latif were doing there. If we had to try to to rigging, we could have done it in Wazirabad. The PML-N first involved re-polling at 20 polling stations, then changed its stance but we abide by the choices of the institutions,” he said.
The minister charged that the PML-N and PDM kept on changing their positions like their announcements about movements then changing dates and reversing those decisions.
Special Assistant to the PM Usman Dar said that this was the primary decision of its kind within the history of Pakistan by the ECP. He acknowledged that the PML-N came here with an invitation for 23 polling stations. He added that more evidence of independence and sovereignty of institutions couldn't be found within the 73-year history of Pakistan.
Adviser to PM on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar said all the national institutions including the ECP were working independently without political influence of the govt .
He said the PML-N was during a habit to attack and criticise the institutions including soldiers and judiciary for the sake of its personal gains. He said the govt was committed to eliminate and discourage horse trading practice to conduct the upcoming Senate polls through open ballot to make sure more transparency.
On the opposite hand, the PPP demanded resignation of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar within the wake of the choice of the committee .
The PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari termed the choice of the ECP a victory of rule of law. He said robbery of vote has been proven and it's an FIR against the rulers.
Former information minister and PML-N central secretary information Marriyum Aurangzeb said it had been a historic decision of the ECP, which had served the people of Daska by providing them another opportunity to elect their true representative. She hoped that within the upcoming elections, decisions would make against those that plan to steal elections or harass voters.
The intention of the chosen prime minister to steal the vote was buried, she said adding that the PML-N would win the by-election on 18, March.
