Staff Reporter Islamabad
Secretary General Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentarians, Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided a recount in constituency NA-249 at the request of PML-N in the by-elections and while we welcome this decision, the manner in which such a situation was handled in the 2018 elections was very different.
The PDM was made by the PPP and now we demand withdrawal of show cause notice and apology to us.
Addressing a press conference along with Secretary General PPP Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari here on Sunday, he said that we want to put forward some important points about the by-election of NA-249.
The Election Commission has decided to recount at the request of PML-N. This is their right.
Farhatullah Babar said, “We welcome it and want to see the Election Commission of Pakistan strong.
Same was said in the 2018 elections that where the winning margin was less than 5%, it should have been recounted.
The recount was to be held in 34 constituencies which were not conducted. Only the recount of two constituencies started and was stopped and never completed.”
He said that this constituency NA-249 was not new to the PPP. The PPP candidate from this constituency had also won in the 1988 elections.
The PPP does not have a large majority of votes in this constituency but we have considerable support for the PPP. The PPP has shown groundwork, activism and has now won, he added.
The SG PPP Parliamentarians said that only the Election Commission could explain the reason for the delay in the counting process but there were 30 candidates and eight election observers who had to be given the Form 45 during Ramadan. For this exercise, the Election Commission has to fill 10-12 forms.
Farhatullah Babar said that if we had lost this election, we would never have had raised this issue. We believe in election laws. He said that in the recount, the votes of PPP may increase.
He said to the PML-N that you must go to the Election Commission but do not say that the PPP has come through the help of the establishment. Our movement is against Imran Khan and not the opposition.
