SUKKUR: The Election Tribunal Sukkur, on Monday ordered recounting of votes cast in the NA-196 Jacobabad constituency from where Muhammad Mian Soomro of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was declared the winner. Soomro is currently holding the portfolio of Federal Minister for Privatisation.

An appeal against the election results of the constituency was filed in the ET by his rival, Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani of Pakistan Peoples Party.

The tribunal ordered recounting of votes within 30 days and said that the ECP can select the returning officer (RO) for this purpose. Speaking to the journalists, Jakhrani said he had submitted the petition to recount the votes of all the polling stations because the difference between the winner and runner-up was nominal.

It is pertinent to mention that during the general elections 2018 in NA-196 Jacobabad, the PTI candidate, Muhammad Mian Soomro, had secured 92,000 votes and was declared winner, while the PPP candidate Aijaz Khan Jakhrani had got 87,000 votes.