Ecp Declares Ali Hassan Zehri Winner Of Hub Polls Again

In a significant and controversial development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reinstated Ali Hassan Zehri of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as the winner of the Balochistan Assembly constituency PB-21 (Hub) just one day after ordering a recount of votes at 39 polling stations. The ECP's notification on February 26, 2026, stated, "Pursuant to the order dated February 25, 2026... the notification dated December 19, 2024, is hereby restored, whereby Ali Hassan Zehri was declared the returned candidate from PB-21 Hub." This decision has reignited tensions surrounding the electoral process, as the original count had declared Muhammad Saleh Bhootani of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) the winner with over double the votes of Zehri, who was initially not even the runner-up. The recount revealed a dramatic shift in the vote tally, with Bhootani's votes dropping from 30,910 to 17,403, while Zehri's votes surged from 14,120 to 23,974, a net gain of 9,854 votes. The overall percentage of polled votes also increased from 55.15% to 58.48%. This sudden alteration in results has been linked to allegations of electoral fraud, including the arrest of five individuals found with fake ballots in the strong room where electoral records were stored, raising serious questions about the integrity of the election process.