SC orders verification of votes in NA-125, Saad Rafique welcomes decision
PML-N leader Saad Rafique said that he has no objection on the court order.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered to get votes of Lahore’s NA-125 constituency verified through the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The order was issued on senior PML-N leader and Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique’s petition against the election tribunal’s verdict.
During the case proceeding, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer argued that the election tribunal had rejected the plea to verify votes of the whole constituency and votes at only nine polling stations were verified later.
On this, Justice Azmat Saeed remarked that situation will become clear once all the votes are verified through NADRA.
The apex court directed NADRA to complete the verification process within three months.
On the other hand, Khawaja Saad Rafique said that he has no objection on the court order for vote verification in NA-125 constituency.
Speaking to media outside the SC building in Islamabad, Khawaja said his party wants the rigging issue to be settled once and for all.
“Although our lawyer could have objected over the verification by Nadra as there is no such legal standing but we did accepted it with an open heart,” he said.
The minister voiced his concerns about the substandard electoral material provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during 2013 general elections.
“It has been established that the magnetic ink was substandard and was not even available at some of the polling stations,” he claimed, questioning whether the thumb impressions will be verifiable after the lapse of more than 2.5 years.
The NA-125 Lahore is one of the four constituencies which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman demanded to be verified during his party’s historic 126-day sit-in at Islamabad’s D-Chowk in 2014.
It may be mentioned here that on May 4, 2015, Federal Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique was disqualified by the election tribunal after irregularities were confirmed in NA-125 polls that were held in the constituency in May 2013.
NA-125: See the detailed verdict of election tribunal
PTI candidate Hamid Khan had challenged the victory of PML-N’s candidate, alleging that he rigged the election.
Few days later, Rafique challenged the tribunal’s verdict in the Supreme Court and on May 11, the apex court suspended the decision of election tribunal, barring the Election ommission of Pakistan (ECP) from conducting by-poll in the constituency.
Saad Rafique was also reinstated on his Railway Ministry’s post.
