against PTI, which also included rigging charges but in no case did any tribunal order thumb impression verification despite requests. On the other hand, PTI continuously gave the impression as if the whole system was against it and that in fact tribunals were acting against it. Had a single order of thumb impression verification was passed for the constituency where PTI candidate had won, people could have easily understood the difference between unverifiable votes and bogus votes and the country could have been saved from unnecessary tension on the issue.
When The News inquired from Nadra about details of constituencies for which election tribunals ordered thumb impression verifications, the following data was provided; National Assembly: NA-20, NA-34, NA-40, NA-118, NA-128, NA-154, NA-200, NA-208, NA-202, NA-211, NA-215, NA-218, NA-229, NA-256, NA-258, NA-265, NA-267 (It includes 9 national assembly constituencies of province of Sindh). Sindh Assembly: PS-01, PS-08, PS-09, PS-14, PS-17, PS-23, PS-27, PS-29, PS-32, PS-33, PS-35, PS-59, PS-62, PS-69, PS-114, PS-128. Balochistan Assembly: PB-14, PB-41, PB-39 and PB-50. Punjab Assembly: PP-147, KPK Assembly: PK-58.
Zareen Gul of JUI-F won from Tor Ghar (PK-58). PTI candidates did not win any of the above constituencies.
In case of NA-125, the tribunal constituted one-man commission, who was a Nadra officer. This commission also carried out thumb impression verification of some of the polling stations of NA-125 on its own. Its report was not prepared by Nadra. This constituency was won by PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafiq who defeated PTI’s Hamid Khan. It is one of the four constituencies whose audit was demanded by PTI chief Imran Khan.
According to Faik Ali Chachar, In-charge Media & Communication Nadra, Nadra has submitted verification report of 38 constituencies with respective election tribunals and verification of NA-40 is under process whose report shall be submitted in due course of time.
Data of election tribunals and Nadra verification reports may also call attention of proposed judicial commission to probe why no order of thumb impression verification was not passed in any constituency where PTI had won. It is a crucial point and can sort out much of the confusion.