Armed men steal, burn ballot papers during NA-231 recounting: election officials

The recounting process at four polling stations in NA-231 Malir III, Karachi turned into a clash on Friday as armed men ransacked the office, election officials said.

PPP’s Abdul Hakeem Baloch has won Malir’s NA-231 in Karachi with 43,634 votes, according to the provisional results announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

On the request of PTI candidate Advocate Khalid Mehmood, the election tribunal had decided to hold recounting at four polling stations — PS 65, 71, 98, and 175.

PTI Sindh Secretary General Ali Pulh was present at the polling station, and said, “If there is a fair recount, this seat is ours.”

A media statement by PTI Sindh claimed that “PPP thugs” reached the office of the ECP and burnt the records, as well as ballot boxes and other records.

The statement claimed that Mehmood was “tortured and abducted”, and he later told PTI leaders over the phone that “the PPP goons” took away his laptop.

“Out of fear of defeat, the people of PPP have stormed the office of the Election Commission,” PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh said.

“Illegal action has taken place in the presence of police and law enforcement agencies,” Sheikh said, claiming that NA-231 was won by Mehmood.

“The people of PPP did not allow recounting on orders of the court,” the statement quoted him as saying.

A statement issued by Regional Election Commissioner Karachi, Imtiaz Ahmed Qureshi, took notice of the incident and said that the recounting process was due to begin at 10am.

At around 11am, unknown men with their faces covered, “armed with weapons and sticks”, forcefully entered the office premises.

“[They] broke open the gates of the office and the Committee Room where the recounting process was going on, ransacked the office furniture and forcibly took away the polling bags of four polling stations ie 65, 71, 98 and 175 of Constituency NA-231 Malir III.

“The mob also burnt down the said polling bags in front of [the] polling building,” the statement read.

It added that during the recounting process, a heavy police contingency and police mobiles were deployed on the office premises.

“Despite the adequate security measures and presence of police force, the mob attacked the office.”

South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com that a first information report (FIR) has been registered against unknown miscreants on the complaint of the election commission office.

“Strict legal action would be taken against elements involved in rioting and hooliganism,” the DIG said, adding that the police are in touch with the complainant to obtain evidence with the help of CCTV footage since the incident occurred within their premises.

He later told Dawn.com: “One suspect belonging to a certain political party has been arrested so far.”

The officer did not disclose the political affiliation of the suspect.