ISLAMABAD: A recent audit exposes startling revelations regarding Islamabad’s 2023 National Assembly elections. The audit, conducted by the Pattan-Coalition38, scrutinized the results of all three constituencies within the federal capital, uncovering significant inconsistencies between declared winners and actual vote counts.
Furthermore, the audit which compared Form 45 (results compiled at polling stations) with Form 47 (official results published by the Election Commission of Pakistan), discovered that winners across all three constituencies had received fewer votes than their respective runners-up.
In one instance, in NA-46 Islamabad-1, independent candidate Amir Masood was found to have received 75,608 votes, while PML-N’s Anjum Aqeel Khan secured 38,607 votes. Surprisingly, Form 47 declared Khan the winner with 81,958 votes, compared to Masood’s 44,317 votes, a discrepancy of over 76,000 votes.
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Similar irregularities were found in NA-47 Islamabad-2 and NA-48 Islamabad-3, where discrepancies between Form 45 and Form 47 were prevalent, indicating potential manipulation of results in favor of PML-N candidates.
The audit process involved a detailed examination of forms collected directly from candidates, followed by a comparison with official ECP records. Out of 342 polling stations in NA-46, the audit verified 298, while 379 out of 387 polling stations were scrutinized in NA-47. Additionally, 234 out of 261 polling stations were assessed in NA-48.
Pattan-Coalition38 highlighted the necessity for swift action from the ECP and the judiciary to address these discrepancies and ensure the integrity of future elections. With high confidence in their findings due to substantial differences in vote counts, the coalition urges prioritized resolution of election-related cases.
