Question mark after commissioner’s allegations: PMLN bagged 11 of total 13 NA seats in Pindi division

ISLAMABAD: Of the total 13 NA general seats in Rawalpindi Division, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) has pocketed 11, whereas the Pakistan Peoples Party and independents have bagged one seat each.

It is widely believed that the ‘statement’ of Rawalpindi Division’s Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha, who resigned earlier in the day, has put a question mark on the electoral process conducted across the division, which consists of four districts: Rawalpindi (Murree), Attock, Chakwal, and Jehlum.

Chattha claimed that the results of 13 constituencies of the National Assembly were changed, and the defeated candidates were made to win by 70,000 votes, while those leading by 70,000 were defeated through rigging.

On the majority of these seats, as per the results put on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s website, PMLN candidates have won by not a huge margin and their closest rivals are the independents, backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

According to the ECP results, PMLN’s Shiekh Aftab Ahmed won from NA-49 Attock-I, a constituency of Rawalpindi Division, securing 119,727 votes, while independent candidate Tahir Sadiq was the runner-up with 110,230 votes.

Similarly, the second NA seat of Attock was also secured by PMLN’s Malik Sohail Khan, who got 119,075 votes, while independent candidate Eman Waseem secured 109,189 votes.

From the NA-51 Murree-Rawalpindi seat, PMLN candidate Raja Usama Sarwar again won with 149,250 votes, whereas his closest rival was independent candidate Muhammad Latasab Sati, who secured 113,843 votes. The PPP managed to win only one seat in this division, and it was Raja Pervaiz Ashraf from NA-52 Rawalpindi-I, bagging 112,265 votes; independent candidate Tariq Aziz Bhatti came in second with 91,547 votes and PMLN’s Raja Muhammad Javed Ikhlas came in third with 72,062 votes.

From NA-53 Rawalpindi-II, PMLN’s Raja Qamarul Islam won with 72,000 votes, followed by independent candidate Ajmal Sabir Raja with 58,476 votes. However, independent candidate Aqeel Malik was elected member of the National Assembly from NA-54 Rawalpindi-III with 89,912 votes, while Azra Masood, another independent, came in second with 73,694 votes.

In NA-55 Rawalpindi-4, PMLN’s Abrar Ahmed won with 112,343 votes, while independent candidate Muhammad Basharat Raja came in second with 96,787 votes.

PMLN’s Hanif Abbasi from NA-56 pocketed 9,6649 votes, and the runner-up was Sheharyar Riaz, an independent candidate, who got 8,2613 votes.

Likewise, PMLN’s Daniyal Chaudhry won with 8,3331 votes, while independent candidate Seemabia Tahir came in second with 56,789 votes. From NA-58, Chakwal-I’s Tahir Iqbal won with 115,974 votes, while independent candidate Ayaz Ameer came in second with 102,537 votes.

PMLN’s Sardar Ghulam Abbas was elected member of the National Assembly from NA-59 Talagang-Chakwal with 141,680 votes, while Roman Ahmed got 129,716 votes and ran as an independent candidate.

From NA-60, Jhelum-I, Bilal Azhar Kayani of the PMLN won with 99,948 votes, while independent candidate Hassan Adeel came in second with 90,474 votes.

PMLN’s Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf was elected from NA-61, Jhelum-II, with 88,038 votes, while independent candidate Shaukat Iqbal Mirza got 84,584 votes and came in second.

On Rawalpindi’s share of total of 26 seats from Attock in Punjab Assembly, three seats went to independents and two to PMLN. Likewise, Muree’s only seat was won by the PMLN.

From Rawalpindi, out of a total of 13 seats, nine went to the PMLN and four to independents. All four seats belonging to Chakwal and Talagang have been won by the PMLN, including the one pocketed by Sardar Ghulam Abbas from PP-22. Likewise, the independents managed to win all the three seats in Jehlum.