ISLAMABAD, May 13: In what may invite trouble for many presiding officers, over 100 per cent votes were polled in at least 49 polling stations across the country.

But this could be just the tip of the iceberg as those detected were among the 8,119 out of a total of 70,000 polling stations monitored by observers belonging to over 40 NGOs working for improving electoral processes.

The list of polling stations with more than 100pc turnout was released by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) on Monday. The polling stations where irregularity appears to have been committed in connivance with the polling staff were in the constituencies of some top political leaders, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP Punjab president Manzoor Wattoo, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Abdul Qadir Gilani.

The list includes six polling stations of five National Assembly constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 32 polling stations of 26 constituencies in Punjab, eight polling stations of seven constituencies in Sindh and one polling station in Balochistan.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the polling stations were in NA-5, NA-6, NA-7, NA-13 and NA-24. Elections in three of the five constituencies have been won by the PTI and the rest by the JUI-F, including the one by Maulana Fazlur Rahman. An abnormal turnout of 271.16pc was reported from a poling station in Nowshera (NA-6). The PTI’s Siraj Khan was declared winner in the constituency.

In Punjab, the list includes NA-52 (Rawalpindi) where Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan beat Ajmal Sabir Raja of PTI with a clear margin. Over 170pc and 192pc turnouts were recorded in two polling stations of NA-122, where Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of the PML-N beat PTI chief Imran Khan. The list includes NA-71 (Mianwali), where PTI chief Imran Khan emerged victorious.

The other constituencies in Punjab with over 100pc turnout were Na-74 (Bhakkar), NA-94 (Toba Tek Singh), NA-98 and 101 (Gujranwala), NA-105 (Gujrat) where Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi defeated PPP’s Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, NA-115 (Narowal), NA-124 (Lahore), NA-126 (Lahore) where PTI leader Shafqat Mahmood won, NA-127, 128, 130 and 140 (Lahore), NA-142 (Kasur), NA-143, 144 and 147 (Okara), NA-148 and 151 (Multan), NA-168 (Vehari), NA-175 (Rajanpur), NA-193 and NA-195.

The polling stations in Sindh with over 100pc turnout are: NA-198 (Sukkur), NA-200 (Ghotki), NA-211, 217 and 218 (Matiari), the constituency of PPP leader Makdoom Amin Fahim, NA-226 (Mirpur Khas), NA-229 (Tharparkar) and NA-242, 256 and 257 (Karachi).

The only such polling station in Balochistan was NA-262 (Killa Abdullah), where PKMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai won the election.

In its statement, Fafen called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to place statements of count of all polling stations on its website before certifying any final result of a constituency.

It suggested that the ECP should not include votes of the polling stations with over 100pc turnout in calculation of results and consider re-polling in these stations.

ECP MEETING: The ECP held a meeting in the federal capital on Monday to take up allegations of rigging in Karachi and decided to summon the election record of all constituencies of the city.

The meeting, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, was attended by all four members and senior officials of the commission. Briefing journalists, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said reports had been sought from district returning officers, returning officers, provincial election commission and the Sindh police chief.

He said the commission had kept intact the decision for re-polling in 43 polling stations of NA-250 (Karachi) and indicated that re-polling in other constituencies of the city and other areas was possible if concrete evidence of rigging was available. He said the ECP had the powers to order re-polling because of rigging. Mr Ishtiak was of the opinion that army troops should not be pulled out of Karachi and Hyderabad because re-polling was possible in some constituencies there.