NA-240 by-polls: DRO removed at MQM-P's request

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has removed the district returning officer (DRO) at the request of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) ahead of NA-240 by-polls, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The election commission took action against DRO Pervaiz Kalhoro at MQM-P’s request and appointed regional election commissioner Karachi Syed Nadeem  Haider as the new DRO.

 

On May 30, ECP had declared all polling stations for the National Assembly constituency NA-240 as sensitive.

The National Assembly seat comprising Landhi and Korangi area of District Korangi in Karachi, had fallen vacant after the death of the MQM-P MNA Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan on April 19.

The ECP had declared 203 polling stations in the constituency ‘very sensitive’ out of 309 polling stations, while remaining 106 polling stations have been declared ‘sensitive’.

The election commission had established 182 polling stations in Korangi and 127 in Landhi area for the by election scheduled to be held on June 16.

The NA-240 (Korangi Karachi II) seat have total 5,29,855 voters. The electoral body has set up 100 polling stations for male voters, 99 PS for women voters and 110 joint polling stations for the by election under its polling scheme.

The ECP accepted 39 out of 42 nomination papers and rejected three for the by election.

The nomination papers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate for the by-election of NA-240 Korangi were rejected by the district returning officer Abdul Razzaq. The papers were rejected after the RO deemed the proposer’s signatures fake.

Both the proposer and seconder of the candidate were also failed to appear in person before the returning officer.