News Desk: The Election Commission of Pakistan is set to hear a rare and controversial election dispute on Tuesday (February 23) after a delayed recount drastically altered voting figures for a Balochistan Assembly constituency.
The case concerns PB-21 (Hub), where a recount at 39 polling stations, conducted nearly two months after the February 8, 2024 general elections, resulted in a sharp rise in both polled and rejected votes. The revised figures overturned the original result and handed victory to Ali Hassan Zehri of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
From Clear Win to Third Position
Before the recount, Muhammad Saleh Bhootani of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) had secured a comfortable lead, polling more than double the votes of Zehri. However, the recount reshaped the outcome, pushing Bhootani to third place while revising voter turnout from 55.15 per cent to 58.48 per cent.
Serious questions were raised after five individuals were arrested from the strong room where election material was stored. Officials alleged the suspects were found with bags containing fake ballot papers and were attempting to tamper with records on February 11, 2024, hours after the recount was ordered.
Figures That Sparked Alarm
The recount produced striking numerical patterns. Bhootani’s vote count fell from 30,910 to 17,403, a drop of 13,507 votes, exactly matching the rise in rejected ballots, which increased from 3,648 to 17,155.
At the same time, total polled votes rose from 76,976 to 87,483, an increase of 10,507 votes. Of these, 9,854 votes were added to Zehri’s tally, lifting his total to 23,974. Another 441 votes were added to runner-up Rajab Ali, while 212 votes were distributed among other candidates.
Courts Step In
Although Zehri was notified as the winner on December 19, 2024, the dispute soon reached the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which on November 20, 2024, annulled earlier proceedings and directed the ECP to decide the matter afresh.
Despite this, the election body, in a 3–2 split decision on December 16, 2024, upheld the recount. This led Bhootani to challenge the decision before the Balochistan High Court and later the Federal Constitutional Court.
‘Sanctity of the Ballot Must Be Protected’
Earlier this month, the Federal Constitutional Court suspended Zehri’s notification and directed the ECP to re-examine pending recount requests. The court stressed that recounts should only be ordered on the basis of solid evidence and warned against undermining the sanctity of the ballot through vague or unsupported allegations.
The controversy has also had political consequences. Last week, Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, the Governor of Balochistan, removed Zehri from the provincial cabinet led by Sarfaraz Bugti, with immediate effect. Zehri had already submitted his resignation prior to the decision.
