Islamabad: Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah has alleged pre-poll rigging in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s LA-10 Kotli constituency, claiming that election officials were caught with polling materials before voting began.
In a statement, Rana Sanaullah claimed that a presiding officer and a patwari (land revenue official) were found at the residence of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Chaudhry Yasin along with polling bags, alleging that they were caught “red-handed.”
The adviser called on Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Faisal Rathore and the Chief Election Commissioner of AJK to order an immediate investigation into the incident.
He urged the authorities to question the presiding officer and the patwari involved and to provide an explanation regarding the alleged handling of the polling materials before voting commenced.
Rana Sanaullah further demanded that polling in constituency LA-10 Kotli be suspended until the inquiry is completed. He argued that the election should not proceed until investigators determine where the polling bags had been taken and whether the integrity of the electoral process had been compromised.
The allegations were made by Rana Sanaullah and had not been independently verified at the time of reporting. There was no immediate response from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission, the PPP candidate Chaudhry Yasin, or other officials named in the allegations. An official investigation, if initiated, will determine the facts surrounding the claims.
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