NAWABSHAH: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed independent candidate for NA-207 (Nawabshah-I), Sardar Sher Moh­a­mmad Rind, who was defeated by former president and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman in Feb 8 election, announced on Saturday challenging results in election tribunal as well as courts.

A Grand Democratic Alliance’s candidate for PS-82 (Dadu), Sardar Ashiq Ali Zaunr, also rejected election results and announced submitting application for vote recount

Mr Rind told journalists here that PPP was declared winner throughout Sindh after massive rigging. “We reject selection done in the name of election,” he said.

He claimed that despite passage of two days, he had still not been given Form-45s of all polling stations. “Our polling agents were thrown out of polling stations without handing them Form-45s,” he said.

He alleged that district returning officer, returning officers and other pooling staff worked like servants of PPP and claimed that he had defeated Asif Ali Zardari by a large margin at all polling stations hence the results had been manipulated.

He said that his supporters succeeded to guard their votes in city area but they could not avert massive manipulation of votes being done in rural areas where results were changed by force in connivance with polling staff.

He rejected the polls’ results and annou­nced seeking justice from election tribunal. He would also approach court, he added.

Rind was allegedly defeated by the former president and co-chairman of PPP by a wide margin of 90,000 plus votes as per unofficial results.

GDA man seeks recount

The Grand Democratic Alliance’s candidate for PS-82 (Dadu), Sardar Ashiq Ali Zaunr, rejected on Saturday election results of his constituency and announced submitting application for vote recount to the returning officer concerned.

Zaunr told a press conference at Jatoi House here He said that he and the other GDA candidate for NA-228 had won elections at night but when they awoke in the morning they found someone else had been declared winner.

He said that armed people had taken over polling stations in remote areas of Dadu district, and demanded reelection across Sindh.

Zounr flanked by the alliance leaders Syed Zaffar Ali Shah and Rais Mehboob Khan Loond said that the election was too blatantly rigged as the ballot papers on which ‘arrow’ was already stamped were given to agents and presiding officers at the polling stations for PS-82.

He said that their agent did not receive the Form-47 for the result even after they were made to wait for the form.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2024