BHC orders bye-elections on PB-25 Jaffarabad-I.

QUETTA, January 11, 2010 (Balochistan Times): Balochistan High Court on Monday directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold bye-elections on PB-25 Jaffarabad-I and dismissed another election petition on PB-14 Loralai-I declaring non maintainable. The tribunal which was headed by Justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai was hearing the petitions filed by Mir Attaullah Khan Bulaidi and Maulvi Abdul Qadir Loni respectively. In his petition, Mir Attaullah Khan Bulaidi alleged that the returned candidate Sardarzada Rustam Khan Jamali abducted his polling agents and allegedly rigged the elections with the connivance of election agents. He prayed to the court to call for record of all 90 polling stations of the constituency for re-examination and recount, or declare the elections on the said polling stations as void or pass any other relief as is deemed fit and proper. In its brief decision, the honourable court dismissed the petition and said that since the seat was lying vacant due to the death of Sardarzada Rustam Jamali therefore by-elections on the said constituency was the proper remedy. Maulana Abdul Qadir Loni who had filed election petition against returned candidate from PB-14 Loralai-I Sardar Masood Loni and others had alleged that the supporters of Sardar Masood Loni forcibly took away the ballet boxes from the polling station and cast bogus votes in his favour. He added that he complained to the election authorities but to no avail. He prayed to the court to declare the election of returned candidate as void.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)