May 14; PILDAT has demanded that the ECP and NADRA immediately carry out an audit of thumb impressions in all those constituencies across the country wherever a complaint of rigging has been made in the May 11 General Election especially in Karachi and Lahore.

PILDAT has said that this audit can be undertaken without much difficulty in a short time and this exercise has become necessary in view of the complaints made by a number of political parties and voters. This exercise is essential to pin-point the specific areas where irregularities may have been committed so that the general credibility of the overall Election should be safeguarded.

Since NADRA has authenticated thumb impressions of voters in its database, these should be compared with the thumb impressions affixed on the picture electoral rolls and the counterfoils of the ballot papers on the day of the Election and any discrepancy should be brought to the notice of the ECP.

In case of an evidence of block mismatch of thumb impressions at a polling station, the results of that polling station should be declared void.

PILDAT has noted with concern that Polling Staff, especially ladies, were handed over polling material without any transportation or security arrangements. Vulnerability of polling staff and the influence of local powerful elements on this staff proved to be one of the weakest links in the chain of election arrangements made by the ECP.