Recount Ordered at 39 Polling Stations in PB-21 Hub; Proposal for Fresh Polls Rejected by Election Commission

Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta) – The **Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)** has ordered a **recount of votes at 39 polling stations** in the **PB-21 Hub constituency** of the Balochistan Assembly, while a proposal for fresh polling at these stations was rejected by the commission’s majority.

In a **majority decision**, Justice (R) Akramullah Khan and member Nisar Ahmed Durani approved the request of **Ali Hassan Zehri** dated February 10, 2024, directing the **Returning Officer** to complete the **recount within three days**. The recount will cover polling stations **1 to 25 in Tehsil Dureji** and stations **48, 49, 50, 51, 57, 58, 62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 81, and 82** of PB-21 Hub. Candidates and their agents are to be notified in writing of the **date, time, and location** of the recount.

The ECP instructed the **Chief Secretary Balochistan** and **Inspector General of Police Balochistan** to provide **full security** during the recount, and authorized the Returning Officer to seek assistance from **district election officers and security agencies**.

However, **ECP member Babar Hasan Bharwana**, in a dissenting note, argued that serious irregularities and allegations of corruption surfaced after the 2024 general elections, including attacks on the Returning Officer’s office and questionable handling of electoral materials. He cited **Supreme Court precedents** indicating that merely recounting ballots may not ensure transparency, and **fresh polls** at the 39 polling stations would be the only effective and constitutional solution.

This decision follows a **Supreme Court order on January 29, 2026**, which had suspended the notification of the winning candidate and instructed the ECP to re-evaluate requests for recounts at the disputed polling stations, nullifying previous High Court and ECP directives.