Bilawal announces PPP's strategy in response to NA-249 vote recount

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday welcomed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) vote recount decision in Karachi’s NA-249, ARY News reported.

“PPP welcomes new precedent set by allowing consistency-wide recount without specific ps complaints. Many seats from 2018 fall within 5% threshold and candidates have not been given this chance. Once ECP order is out PPP will consider going to ECP for recounts in all such seats, “the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in a tweet.

PPP welcomes new precedent set by allowing consistency wide recount without specific ps complaints. Many seats from 2018 fall within 5% threshold & candidates have not been given this chance. Once ECP order is out PPP will consider going to ECP for recounts in all such seats.

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 4, 2021

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today accepted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Miftah Ismail’s plea seeking vote recount in Karachi’s NA-249.

A four-member commission of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the plea.

Read more: NA-249 by-poll result: PPP decides to oppose vote recount

The ECP directed all parties to reach the office of the returning officer on May 6 at 9am for recounting of votes cast in the May 29 by-election in the National Assembly constituency.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party’s counsel Latif Khosa opposed the re-polling in the constituency and said in his argument it is not enough just to say that irregularities were made. “You should highlight where irregularities were reported.”