Tribunal serves notices on Sattar’s plea challenging NA-245 results

An election tribunal on Monday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the returning officer for NA-245 electoral constituency and others on a petition filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Dr Farooq Sattar, in which he had challenged the election results of the constituency.

The MQM-P leader, who had contested the general elections on July 25 from NA-245 Karachi East, submitted in the petition that gross irregularities were committed by the election staff in the constituency during the counting of votes.

Sattar submitted that over 22,000 ballot papers have been missing from the constituency, according to the Form 46 of the ECP. He also claimed that polling agents were ousted from the polling stations during the vote count and were not provided Form 45 in violaton of the election laws.

The MQM-P leader lost the NA-245 election to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Amir Liaquat Hussain who, according to official data, secured over 55,000 votes and was declared as a returned candidate by the ECP.  

Legal notice to IG

A counsel representing parents of Amal Umer, a minor girl who died on August 13 after being shot during crossfire between robbers and police, has sent a legal notice to the Sindh inspector general (IG) of police, asking him to take an immediate action to preserve record of a private hospital where the girl had been rushed for medical treatment.

The eight-year-old girl died due to irresponsible police firing and alleged refusal of medical treatment at the private hospital. saThe counsel, Mohammad Vawda, submitted in the legal notice sent on Sunday that criminal proceedings were under way in connection with the incident and the Supreme Court had also constituted an inquiry committee to investigate Amal’s death.

The lawyer claimed that the private hospital’s management had made several false and inconsistent statements before various forums. He expressed fear that there is likelihood that the hospital management will attempt to cover up its negligence and will temper with evidence in its custody.

The counsel asked the IG to take an immediate action to preserve medical record at the hospital along with footage of closed-circuit cameras on August 13 when the deceased girl was brought to the hospital after she was shot.