close
Tuesday March 19, 2024

Tribunal orders verification of thumb impressions

NA-122, PP-147

By our correspondents
March 05, 2015
LAHORE: An election tribunal on Wednesday ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to verify thumb impressions on votes polled in the NA-122 and PP-147 constituencies in one month and submit a report.
The tribunal judge, Kazim Ali Malik, passed a short order while accepting two applications filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his party candidate Shoaib Siddiqui, a runner-up from PP-147, for the verification of voters’ thumb impressions.
Now the record of NA-122, comprising 284 bags of 284 polling stations, will be sent to Nadra for verification of thumb impressions on counterfoils. One hundred and eleven bags of 117 polling stations of PP-147 will be sent for verification as thumb impression on votes in six bags of this constituency have already been verified by the Nadra.
Earlier, the counsel for the PTI chairman submitted in his application that the ballot papers issued to the polling stations were doubtful. There were some polling stations where packing invoices were issued twice and the serial numbers on the packing invoices did not match Form-15, he added. Moreover, large numbers of Form-15 have no serial numbers. He alleged that the actual record of this constituency was wasted. Under such circumstances, the status of ballot papers issued to the polling stations was doubtful, he implored. He prayed to the court to pass an order for the verification of thumb impressions.
A reply was submitted by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq contending that the tribunal had framed issues, including the maintainability of the election petition, on 22-10-2013. Then Imran Khan submitted an application seeking a decision on the question of maintainability of the election petition in accordance with the judgment of the Supreme Court. His reply stated, “This court vide order 21-11-2014 has been pleased to hold that the question of maintainability of election petition would be decided after recording of evidence of the parties. The evidence of the parties has concluded and the case was fixed for final arguments, when the present application was filed on 14-02-2015 for the reason that the petitioner believes that he has been unable to prove the allegations in the election petition.”
Ayaz claimed, “Without prejudice to the above, no useful purpose would be served in the verification exercise as it would be a waste of public time and money.” He gave a reference of a press release issued by Nadra. He contended that the Nadra’s press release published in newspapers clearly stated that all CNICs issued until 2005 cannot be used for verification of SIMs as new thumb impressions have to be taken for identifying persons who claim to own those SIMs on the basis of CNICs issued till 2005. This fact alone shows that thumb impressions taken for CNICs up until 2005 cannot be used to identify persons from whom such thumb impressions were obtained. He said the sessions of Parliamentary Committee on Parliamentary Affairs held in the National Assembly on 13-1-2014, 23-1-2014, 18-2-2014 and 29-4-2014 wherein the Nadra director general admitted that the life of the ink used for thumb impressions in the general elections was only between four to six hours after opening, whereas the polling started at 8 am and concluded at 6 pm, i.e. lasting 10 hours.
Ayaz maintained that Sher Afgan, currently Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan, also stated that the life span of the ink decreases under warm conditions. The elections were held in May when temperature during day times exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Furthermore, the minutes of meeting of the Election Commission on 5-1-2015 regarding mock polls also stated that biometric devices prepared by Nadra were tested and it was observed that voter authentication process faced innumerable difficulties. It was also observed that even when highly skilled technical staff was handling the process, unexpected failure and time delays were observed while authenticating voters.
The Election Commission through its letter dated 28-4-2013 addressed to all provincial election commissioners specifying the magnetised ink pad for general elections 2013, stated that the life span of the ink is between four and six hours after opening which is less than half the time allocated for polling, Ayaz argued. He claimed that Nadra had stated that the thumb impressions cannot be used as in fact the magnetic ink recommended for use in the elections by Nadra was not used during the elections. Thus the ink used in the elections does not contain the properties to enable Nadra to verify the same. Ayaz Sadiq argued that the purpose of Imran’s application was to delay the election petition adjudication.
Ayaz Sadiq had won the NA-122 seat on PML-N ticket beating Imran Khan while Mohsin Latif defeated PTI candidate Shoaib Siddiqui in PP-147. Imran did not accept the results and challenged them.