MMA candidate moves PHC for recounting in NA-25

Bureau report

PESHAWAR: A losing candidate on NA-25, Nowshera-I, wherefrom the former chief minister Pervez Khattak has won the election, moved the Peshawar High Court on Thursday for recounting of the votes.

The petition was filed by Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah through his lawyer Syed Azizuddin Kakakhel.

The Election Commission of Pakistan, returning officer for NA-25 Nowshera-I, PTI candidate Pervez Khattak, former chief minister who has won the election, and other candidates are respondents in the petition. The petition stated that after election, the petitioner requested the RO for recounting of ballot papers, but the request was not accepted to date.

In the grounds to the petition it was stated that the polling agents nominated by the petitioner were kicked out from polling stations at the time of counting of ballot papers and thus the votes of the petitioner were not counted in their presence and that's why the petitioner was deprived of the form-45.

Furthermore, the petitioner claimed that his votes were mixed up in the bags of other candidates and thus the present figures were totally wrong in the eyes of law. It was also claimed in the petition that the votes of the petitioner were destroyed as well. The petitioner claimed that all the legal formalities under the Election Act, 2017 were not fulfilled by the RO in NA-25 and thus the court order recounting of votes of the whole constituency.