National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Sunday dismissed the impression that it operates under government’s pressure.
“There is no iota of pressure from government side; in fact PTI leadership has been pressurizing NADRA and its chairman by launching a malicious campaign against them,” the spokesman of NADRA said.
PTI leadership has also discreetly held meetings with NADRA employees union inciting them to stage sit-ins and shut down the registration centres, he said.
“Pictures of Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other leaders with NADRA protestors are available on record,” the spokesman said.
Refuting the allegation that Chairman NADRA did not make eye contact with the Honorable Judge of the election tribunal, he said Chairman NADRA successfully defended every aspect of report before the judge for three and half hours.
On only one occasion during a very long cross-questioning by the both parties, chairman NADRA was told by the honorable judge to make an eye contact with him while replying to the question, he added.
However, he said spokesperson of Chairman PTI, Dr Shireen Mazari herself had been found doodling or sleeping during long meetings. She should be the last person to make such ridiculous assertions, he added.
The spokesman also dispelled the impression being created by PTI leadership regarding NADRA’s supplementary report casting aspersions on the process of transparency and neutrality.
NADRA is a statutory body and the reports of more than 39 constituencies so for submitted to respective tribunals neither implicate anyone nor exonerate any party, he added.
He said, “The supplementary is submitted to election tribunal on the requests made by the counsels of both the parties.”
“However, during the proceedings when PTI counsel denied to have made any request to NADRA for production of supplementary report, chairman NADRA produced a request letter from the PTI counsel before the honorable judge,” the spokesman added.
He warned that legal action may be initiated any time against the PTI lawyers for “lying in court”. (APP)