ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders Senator Palwasha Khan and Chaudhry Yasin strongly opposed re-polling at nine polling stations, alleging irregularities in the electoral process and demanding that the Election Commission formally notify PPP candidate Sardar Zia-ul-Qamar as the winner.
Addressing a joint news conference here on Wednesday, Palwasha Khan said Zia-ul-Qamar had secured a clear lead, and the polling process at nine polling stations had been completed successfully. She said the Election Commission was legally bound to recognize the votes cast at those polling stations and issue the notification of his victory.
She questioned the rationale for holding re-polling when a boycott had already been announced by voters before the election. “If voters had decided not to cast their votes, conducting re-polling under these circumstances would be contrary to the Constitution and law,” she said.
Palwasha said voting or abstaining from voting was a fundamental right of citizens, adding that polling agents had reported at the time of preparation of Form-47 that they were present at the polling stations.
She demanded that if the Election Commission had rejected their application, it should provide the party with the decision in writing. She clarified that the PPP was not opposed to re-polling in principle, but it should only be conducted at polling stations where there was a genuine need for it.
“If the Election Commission believes that any malpractice or irregularity took place at any polling station, it should present the evidence,” she said.
Chaudhry Yasin said there was no justification for conducting the election in three phases, adding that the PPP had opposed the decision when the election schedule was announced.
He alleged that irregularities had started during the first phase of the election. He further alleged that Punjab Police personnel had been brought from Faisalabad and assigned a task by former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to support Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates.
Yasin claimed that police officers were sitting inside polling stations while polling agents were kept outside. He alleged that the Punjab Police had been instructed to facilitate PML-N candidates.
Questioning the reported turnout, he said it was difficult to understand how 99 percent of votes could have been polled under the circumstances.
He claimed that PPP candidate Zia-ul-Qamar was clearly winning and alleged that voters had boycotted polling at a large number of stations. He attributed the situation to statements made by PML-N ministers.
Palwasha Khan reiterated that the nine polling stations where voting had taken place should be accepted and their results recognized. She said the PPP would continue to oppose any re-polling that was not supported by evidence or legal grounds.
The PPP leaders called upon the Election Commission to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process, recognize the votes cast at the nine polling stations and clarify the legal basis for any decision to order re-polling.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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