Only 11 pc verified votes in Karachi’s PS-114, reveals Nadra

E-Paper | October 02, 2026

Only 11 pc verified votes in Karachi’s PS-114, reveals Nadra

Dawn.com Published October 23, 2013

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KARACHI: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Wednesday revealed that out of the total of 92,000 votes polled in Karachi's PS-114 (Karachi), 82,000 could not be verified by the government body, DawnNews reported.

The revelation came as Nadra completed the verification process of ballots in the said constituency where only 10,000 of the total votes polled could be successfully confirmed.

Son-in-law of former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Irfanullah Khan Marwat (Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz), had been declared as successful candidate from PS-114 defeating Abdul Rauf Siddiqui of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with a margin of around 7000 votes in the May 11 polls.

Rauf Siddiqui had filed a complaint against him alleging that Marwat had made the entire polling staff of the constituency hostage and rigged the elections, in blatant violation of the election laws.

Following Rauf Siddiqui’s complaint, the election tribunal had on Aug 3 directed the Nadra to verify the thumb impressions of voters of certain polling stations in PS-114.

Marwat had moved court against voter verification

Marwat had moved the Sindh High Court after he was aggrieved by the order of the election tribunal, headed by former judge Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, calling for the verification of thumb impressions of voters of certain polling stations in PS-114.

The PML-N leader had prayed to the court to set aside the tribunal order and restrain Nadra from verification of thumb impressions of votes.

Following the filing of Marwat’s constitutional petition against the verification of thumb impression of voters on ballots in PS-114, the Sindh High Court on Oct 2 had issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Nadra and the respondent Muttahida leader.

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Parvez

Oct 23, 2013 04:32pm

The answer lies in computerising the voting process.........does our politican want this or do they want confusion so that only they benefit. The answer is clear.

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Ali

Oct 23, 2013 06:03pm

@Parvez: And considering the pathetic security of the present electoral process, how can anyone be sure the computerized one would be any more secure? It would simply require an experienced hacker to play with it.

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naeem khan

Oct 23, 2013 06:25pm

it is clear now that ECP did not use magnetic ink in 2013 elections instead of making a news every other day ECP should admit its failure and prepare for computerized voting system

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munsif

Oct 23, 2013 06:36pm

wrong thumb impression using ink, is mostly seen every where . The incharge of such practice , does not bother to see , how a stain of ink with invisible natural thumb skin lines can be verified, by a computer's infra red light. it will perhaps cost more if, nadra's thumb impression taking scanner is made available at every polling station, and on spot verification is made, however, computer experts must think about all these issues.

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munsif

Oct 23, 2013 06:36pm

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syedz

Oct 23, 2013 06:32pm

Election reforms are the need of the hour. E - Voting should be introduced to make the process clear.

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Tariq mahmood

Oct 23, 2013 07:30pm

Until our leaders' learn to abide by the writ of the ballot box no progress can be had in the country!

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abdul rashid awan

Oct 23, 2013 07:31pm

I am in favour of across the board checking. As far as this case is concern; yes fairness should be prevailed

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Mohammad Syed Husain

Oct 23, 2013 09:02pm

This is rampant corruption and should be investigated wherever objections have been filed. Not in the media but at the proper place.

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Khan

Oct 23, 2013 09:06pm

Lets hope there is one politician who will want to computerise the voting process for the next elections...I think we all know who that politician is....

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optimist

Oct 23, 2013 09:09pm

The entire system is both corrupt and inefficiant. It is an established fact that Pakistan cannot get rid of corruption moving forward at-least in the near futute. So the only practical solution is to find less corrupt but efficiant offiicials. Nepotism and favoritism is the biggest problem and unless efficient people are brought into the system there will be no hope. Pakistan can hold a fresh election under the supervision of the army and judiciary but the rsesults more or less would be same. Time to stop criticizing and work to restore law and order situation, overcome energy crisis and inefficiency in government.

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DiplomatOne

Oct 24, 2013 01:04am

Good investigative reporting, by revealing the facts, source and the beneficiaries of the fraud. Now, similar thing has happened in some other constituencies, but I haven't seen the names and affiliations of the beneficiaries for those constituencies. Do those ones, need to be protected. Can we see a list, by names and affiliations of the persons committing fraud. This will be a good deed done to the nation.

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MUHAMMAD ARSHAD

Oct 24, 2013 03:41pm

media not raised PS-114 ISSUE WHY

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Ul Arifeen

Oct 25, 2013 02:30pm

Well! Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has commented that where ever through out the pakistan this kind of verification will be done the result wil be the same as karachi.So the message is clear.

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asif

Oct 25, 2013 03:32pm

@MUHAMMAD ARSHAD: coz MQM didn't win this one. simple

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Akram

Oct 25, 2013 07:08pm

Pakistani elections have been massaged for years sometimes at the behest of the army (read 1990), sometimes by small time local people. The tools are now within our grasp to end this with 100% computer verification of voters. These should be checked against the NADRA database. Fingerprint sensors have been on computers for more than 5 years, this is not new technology, what is new is the fact that the Pakistani election system is itself beginning to evolve. I would suggest a staggered election one province at a time, which will reduce both the opportunity for fraud, and reduce expenditure on any computers/equipment required in polling stations. In addition there should be TV adverts before the election showing people exactly the process to perform in the polling station, what to do if the polling officials or candidates misbehave or tell people to go away. The problems are not insurmountable, what is needed is the political will to prioritize this.

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