1.67 million ballots rejected in Pakistan polls: Report
Islamabad, Aug 4: About 1.67 million votes were excluded from the count in Pakistan's July 25 general election, surpassing the number of ballots rejected in 2013 polls, according to a report by an independent poll watchdog.
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) is a coalition of 30 domestic non-governmental organizations that observe general election and mobilize voters.
According to the FAFEN report, the increase in the number of discarded ballots was a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in Pakistan's all four provinces and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Overall, the increase was recorded at around 11.7 per cent.
There were more than 100 million registered voters in Pakistan but out of them, only about 51 per cent exercised their franchise, according to the Election Commission.
Around 40 per cent increase in the number of rejected votes was observed in Balochistan, 30.6 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 7 per cent in Sindh and 6.6 per cent in Punjab, said the report cited by Geo News.
In ICT, the number of ballots excluded from the count was over double the discarded ballots in the region in 2013 election.
The report also said that the number of votes excluded from the count surpassed the margin of victory in 120 (21 per cent) of the 570 provincial assembly constituencies where polls were conducted.
These included 58 constituencies in Punjab, 24 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 in Sindh and 16 in Balochistan.
The victory margin in 79 national and 169 provincial assembly seats was less than 5 per cent of the total votes cast, FAFEN said.
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Constitution of India supreme, its pillars must work together: CJI Gavai
Mumbai (PTI): Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Sunday stressed that neither the judiciary nor the executive, but the Constitution of India was supreme and its pillars must work together.
Justice Gavai, who took oath as the 52nd CJI earlier this week, spoke at his felicitation ceremony and state lawyers' conference organised by the Bar Council Maharashtra and Goa here.
The Chief Justice said he was glad that the country has not just strengthened but has also developed on the social and economic fronts and continues to do so.
"Neither the judiciary nor the executive and the Parliament is supreme, but it is the Constitution of India which is supreme, and all the three wings have to work as per the Constitution," he said.
He underlined that the country's basic structure was strong, and all three pillars of the Constitution were equal.
"And all the organs of the Constitution must reciprocate and give due respect to each other," he said.
A book chronicling 50 remarkable judgments pronounced by Justice Gavai was released during the event.
