Pakistan politician gives up his seat, says vote was rigged in his favour

Pakistani politician Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said he discovered that votes cast for his rival were reduced to 11,000 from 31,000.

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, a Pakistani politician declared victorious in the PS-129 provincial election in Karachi, has opted to relinquish his seat, citing his refusal to accept what he deems an "illegitimate victory."

Pakistan conducted its national and provincial elections on February 8.

Rehman, representing the Jamaat-e-Islami party, asserted that the election results favored him unfairly over independent candidate Saif Bari.

Bari, supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was Rehman's rival.

Initially declared the winner of PS-129 in the contentious national elections with over 26,000 votes, Rehman revealed discrepancies in Bari's vote count, which purportedly dropped from 31,000 to 11,000 when tallying the records from individual polling stations.

In light of what he perceives as an unjust triumph, Rehman has chosen to step down.

Rehman stated, "We refuse to be complicit in any illegitimate maneuvers to secure victory. The will of the people must prevail. Let the victor rightfully claim their win, and let the defeated accept their loss without undue interference."

The electoral process faced allegations of meddling and extensive fraudulent activities, although Pakistani electoral authorities have dismissed these accusations.

The successor to Rehman's PS-129 seat remains pending announcement.