Shehbaz alleges rigging, rejects election results

LAHORE, Jul 26 (APP):Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday alleged rigging in the general election and rejected the results.
Addressing a news conference here at Model Town, he claimed everyone was making hue and cry over the rigging. PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurengzeb, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Musadaq Malik were also present.
Shehbaz claimed that a PML-N polling agent was forced to leave the polling station in D G Khan. The Election Commission of Pakistan, he alleged, had failed to hold free, fair and transparent polls.
Shehbaz said that the party would announce its future strategy after the central executive committee’s meeting to be held on Thursday. Other political parties would also be contacted, he added.
Meanwhile, Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Babar Yakoob said that delay in issuing official election results was due to failure of Result Transmission System (RTS), which was specifically developed to ensure swift result transmission.
Talking to media here, he said that over 85,000 cellular phones were connected with RTS, but due to heavy traffic the system was choked, and it could receive data from only 25,000 phones.
The ECP has now decided to collect and compile the results manually from presiding officers and assured that all results would reach the returning officers within half an hour.