(Daily Point) — A recently launched website, form45.com, claims to host Form-45s released by presiding officers after the February 8 elections in Pakistan. Form-45s contain vote counts from individual polling stations, signed and stamped by presiding officers.
PTI leaders allege discrepancies between their compiled Form-45 data, indicating victories in 155 of 264 National Assembly constituencies, and the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) Form-47, stating wins in 92 constituencies.
PTI seeks an independent recount, but a complication arises as two versions of Form-45 exist for almost every constituency – one reflecting PTI-backed candidates’ wins and the other aligned with ECP results. PMLN’s social media alleges PTI’s forgery.
Despite demands for an investigation into alleged election fraud, the State Department briefing highlighted a media claim of “100 percent of the returns” being seen, with courts hesitating to address complaints.
Form45.com faced challenges after its Monday launch, citing attacks from various countries. Although not banned in Pakistan, it encountered a 500 error, possibly due to genuine users or Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. Registered on February 10 from Reykjavík, Iceland, the domain owner’s details are private. The website now uses Cloudflare services to mitigate attacks.
While claiming to upload more data, form45.com offers Form-45 copies for only a few constituencies, citing candidates in hiding or protesting for delayed form issuance by ROs. The situation unfolds amidst heightened tensions and allegations, leaving the authenticity of the Form-45s in question.