Ecp Hearing On Pb-21 Recount Case For Balochistan Elections

On February 23, 2026, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to hear a contentious case regarding the recount of votes in the PB-21 (Hub) constituency, which has seen significant shifts in electoral outcomes following a controversial recount. The recount, conducted at 39 polling stations two months after the February 8, 2024 general elections, declared Ali Hassan Zehri of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as the winner, despite the original count placing him far behind. Muhammad Saleh Bhootani of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), who initially secured 30,910 votes, saw his tally plummet to 17,403, a drop of 13,507 votes, while the number of rejected votes surged from 3,648 to 17,155, reflecting the same decrease. This dramatic alteration raised the total number of polled votes from 76,976 to 87,483, an increase of 10,507 votes, with Zehri's count rising from 14,120 to 23,974. The ECP's actions have been marred by allegations of electoral fraud, including the arrest of five individuals found with counterfeit ballots shortly after the recount was ordered. As noted by Dawn, "the recount altered the percentage of votes cast from 55.15% to 58.48%.", highlighting the irregularities involved in the process.