PTI now focuses on printing of extra ballot papers

ISLAMABAD: The whole edifice of charges of rigging in the 2013 general elections built by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has apparently been reduced to just one-point - printing of additional ballot papers by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) - if Chairman Imran Khan’s fresh assertion is any guide.
“A systematic pattern (of rigging) has been exposed,” the PTI chairman said in his usual talk with the reporters after attending the proceedings of the Judicial Commission, which is inquiring into allegations of deliberate systematic manipulation in the parliamentary polls. “Modus operandi of organised rigging and lies of former Punjab election commissioner Mehboob Anwar were unveiled today.”
After failing to present any credible evidence and proof before the judicial penal, the PTI is now heavily banking on the additional printing of voting papers, which, however, has been a standard practice observed by the ECP in all nine general elections held since 1970.
Almost all the polling stations have always been provided extra ballots in varying numbers in all general elections.
Generally, the ballots are printed almost double the number of voters as separate voting papers are used for the national and provincial constituencies. Importantly, no provincial elections are held in Islamabad and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), approximately 9.5 million supplementary ballot papers were produced over and above the requirement for the 2013 elections. There were a total of 86.1 million voters. Ballots were to be printed 172.2 million, double this tally. However, around 181,543,000 voting papers were produced.
Similarly, for the 2008 elections, some 9,042,936 extra ballots were printed. There were as many as 81,000,032 voters whereas 171,043,000 voting papers were printed.
Likewise, for the 2002 polls, as many as 9.376 million extra papers were produced. There were a total of 71.913 million electorates. Actual requirement of ballots stood at 143,826,000 whereas 153,202,000 voting papers were prepared.
For the 1997 elections, there were 56,615,000 voters while as many as 113,230,000 ballots were needed for the national and provincial seats. A total of 8.258 additional ballots were printed.
A total of 3.429 million extra ballots were produced over and above the requirement for the 1993 polls. There were a total of 52,326,000 voters whereas 108,081,000 voting papers were prepared.
In the first general elections in the united Pakistan in 1970, a whopping number of 26,883,400 supplementary ballots or 23.6%, more than the enrolled voters, were printed. The total registered electorate had stood at 56,941,500. There was a total requirement of 113,883,000 ballots whereas 140,766,400 papers were produced.
In the next parliamentary polls in 1985, which were held after a long hiatus due to General Ziaul Haq’s martial law, as many as 15,116,678 extra voting papers or 21.97%, more than the requirement, were printed. The voters’ tally came up to 34,396,661. For the national and provincial assemblies, 68,793,322 ballots, double the number of registered voters, were actually needed but 83,910,000 papers were printed.
As many as 18,214,660 additional voting papers or 18.94% more than needed were produced for the 1988 elections. There were 48,061,670 registered voters, the double of which came to 96,123,340 showing the requirement of ballots for the national and provincial seats. However, a total of 114,338,000 ballots were produced.
For the next polls held in 1990, a total of 14,431,230 supplementary voting papers or 14.83% more than required were printed. There were as many as 48,648,960 registered voters.
The requirement of ballots was twice, 97,297,920, this number for the national and provincial constituencies. But as many as 111,729,150 voting papers were printed.
An ECP official said that it was not plausible to have the ballot papers precisely as the number of voters was. “If any polling station faces deficiency of ballot papers caused by any reason, the ECP is held responsible and accused of mismanagement and mishandling.”
He said that every voting paper booklet consists of 100 leaves. If total registered voters for a polling station were not in multiples of 100, it would not be given half or one fourth or a part of the ballot book. For example, if a station has 1,420 voters, it will be provided at least five books, or even more, containing 1,500 voting papers, he said.
The official said this was true in the case of every polling station. It is not necessary that all the stations will have the same number of votes as contained in ballot books, he added.
He said there were 70,000 polling stations spread all over Pakistan in the 2013 elections. Assuming every station needed 50 ballot papers over and above the number of the voters, the additional papers would come to around 3.5 million ballots. He said the ECP has the complete record of the printed ballot papers and their use.
The official said there was nothing unusual to produce more ballot papers than the actual number of voters to meet different emergency situations. When some voting papers are rendered invalid or spoiled due to mistakes of voters, they will have to be provided fresh ballots.
Another reason, he said, is that there are always possibilities that some ballot papers might be lost during transportation. In such emergencies, the supplementary ballots are used.
The official said that the bags containing the election material were opened by the presiding officers in the presence of all the polling agents and Form 15 is filled up there. The number of ballot papers received and their numbers are noted in it.