KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) will approach the Supreme Court against the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Tuesday over alleged rigging during last year’s general elections.
Imran Ismail, who serves as the party’s deputy secretary general and media advisor to PTI chairman Imran Khan told Dawn on Monday that the decision was taken during a meeting of PTI’s core committee.
Ismail said the PTI’s fresh petition, which will be submitted in the apex court by counsel Hamid Khan, maintains that former Nadra chairman Tariq Malik was involved in rigging votes in certain constituencies.
The petition says Malik was involved in the opening of ballot boxes and stuffing of bogus votes in these.
Ismail added that the party has obtained evidence in this regard which it will present before the Supreme Court.
In January this year, Malik had resigned from his position citing personal engagements. However, sources had said at the time that he was rendered powerless in Nadra and added that he quit keeping in mind the greater interest of the body.
Prior to this, the government had sacked Malik without any notice but he was reinstated by the Islamabad High Court soon after.
Since the 2013 general elections, Imran Khan has been alleging that a full scale fraud had taken place. He has been calling for verification of voters’ thumb impressions with Nadra's assistance.
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Also recently, the PTI chief had again levelled serious allegations against former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and had asked the current chief justice to take a suo motu notice on poll rigging.
Last month, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to respond to a PTI petition on election rigging within 15 days' time.
Last week, the ECP admitted that there was a need to take action against presiding and returning officers involved in rigging, but said that the body lacked the legal authority to do so. The body is now looking towards the Parliament to formulate legislation that will empower it to hold accountable those found to be involved in rigging.