'Firdous Ashiq Was With Missing Presiding Officers At A Farm House To Manipulate Election Results'

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leader Azma Bokhari has claimed that Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was present at a farm house with the 'missing' presiding officers during the post-poll process on the by-election day in Sialkot where the results were rigged in favour of the ruling party. While talking to anchor Nadeem Malik on his show on Samaa TV, the PML-N leader said that the Form 45 was tampered with in the presence of Dr Firdous, reducing the PML-N votes and increasing PTI's.

She urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of the manipulation of the results. Further, Azma said that the PML-N has received footage of the same, and will soon make them public.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Returning Officer of NA-75 Sialkot polling station issued a statement saying that, “In view of the forgoing, prima facie, it looks like the result has been tampered by the Presiding officers and in the interest of justice it would be appropriate to hold the re-poll.”

On the by-election day, staff of 14 polling stations in Daska had gone missing along with the polling bags. For its part, the ECP had stated that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) had asked the IGP Punjab, Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner about the whereabouts of the polling staff who could not be located. It was only early in the morning of Saturday that the relevant staff re-emerged with their respective polling bags.