A Balochistan based returning officer (RO) offering his duty in PB-41 constituency in Washuk district in elections apprised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday that two presiding officers (PO) were allegedly kidnapped by masked men on the election day, which led to their polling stations’ results not being included in the final count.
The issue was taken up by the ECP after the petition filed by the losing candidate, Balochistan Awami Party’s Mir Mujeebur Rehman Mohammad Hasani, drew its attention to the fact that the results of polling stations number 44 and 45 were missing from the final result of Balochistan Assembly constituency PB-41, located in the Washuk district.
“Who had abducted them?” asked an ECP official.
At this, Kamran Murtaza, the counsel of PB-41 seat winner belonging to Mutthida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), quoted the presiding officers as saying that they were “abducted by security forces”.