Jam Madad to move court soon against his unseating

Karachi
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional leader and former MPA Jam Madad Ali is expected to move the apex court in a day or two against an election tribunal’s decision to disqualify him from holding a seat of the provincial assembly.
“The decision was biased and made under the political influence of the Pakistan People’s Party which used it to fetch an additional seat in Senate election,” he told The News
Ali also condemned the oath-taking of his opponent Asghar Junejo just a day after the election tribunal announced its decision.
As soon as the Election Commission of Pakistan notified Junejo as the successful candidate for PS-81 Sanghar on Wednesday, he reached the assembly building and was administered oath by the speaker.
As Junejo took the oath, the PML-F lost a vote for the Senate elections on Thursday with its number of MPAs coming down from 11 to 10.
“He (Asghar Junejo) took oath without submitting his documents which was a prerequisite,” he added.
Ali said he was hopeful that the apex court would make a decision in his favour.
“All documents have been prepared and in a day or two I will file application in the Supreme Court.”
Ali argued that the tribunal made the decision over the number of Junejo’s votes but did not take into consideration the report of recounting in which 27 bags of votes were found unsealed.
Besides, he added, envelopes containing votes were missing and ballots were double-stamped and torn.
He said even the ventilator of the treasury located in the Khipro sub-jail was found broken and freshly repaired which was an evidence of the fact that it was done to tamper with his ballots.
He claimed that the bags of votes cast at only three polling stations were found to be normal and the number of polled votes was the same as counted on the polling day, i.e. June 26, 2013.
Ali defeated Asghar Junejo on this seat once held by the latter’s father, Mohammed Khan Junejo.
The results led to a long litigation, involving the tribunal, the election commission and the high court.
Eventually, recounting of votes in 30 polling stations was ordered which was opposed by Ali.
Ali said there were serious irregularities in the whole litigation process on the part of election commission, claiming that it had been done only to deprive him of his electoral success.
“The tribunal gave a verdict on March 3 although the case was fixed earlier for February 28,” he said.

ATC indicts three men in airport attack case
ATC indicts three men in airport attack case: An anti-terrorism court indicted three men on Saturday for their alleged involvement in the Karachi airport attack.
Sarmad Siddiqui, Nadeem and Asif Zaheer were produced before the court under tight security. ATC judge Basheer Ahmed Khoso indicted the three men but they denied the charges.
The court also summoned all the witnesses in the case for the next hearing scheduled for March 14. Police arrested the three men for providing logistical support, funds and weapons to the attackers who stormed the airport in June last year.