Government official issues strong rebuttal rejecting PTI’s rigging claims

The Sunni Ittehad Council has raised allegations of electoral rigging in the by-elections, citing instances where presiding officers preemptively obtained signatures on Form 45 from polling agents.

Speaking to an ‘Azaad Digital’ special correspondent, a senior government official has rejected all rigging claims. He stated that “the presiding officer of Polling Station No. 127 got Form 45 signed in advance to save time, as time gets short in the evening”. He further added that “this is a standard practice and there’s nothing dubious about it”.

This pre-signing of Form 45 led to confrontations and altercations between supporters of the Sunni Ittehad Council and the presiding officers.

The official further said that presiding officers engage in this practice primarily to expedite the conclusion of the polling day and return home at the earliest opportunity. This is a routine procedure at women’s polling stations.

Separately, it is a common practice for presiding officers to pre-sign Form 45 before the voting period ends to ensure that no one leaves without signing. Typically, presiding officers seek the cooperation of polling agents and obtain their signatures in advance.

Additionally, the official source added that polling agents from both Sunni Ittehad Council and PTI signed suggesting there was mutual understanding between the presiding officer and the polling agents, who were all women seeking an early conclusion to the process.

The official further stated that workers of Sunni Ittihad Council got into a scuffle with the pulling staff to create a smoke screen. The only reason this whole issue is being blown out of proportion is to make the polling exercise controversial.