Signature fraud suspected.
The White House has archived the online petition that sought to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism citing suspicion of signature fraud.
“It did not meet the signature requirements,” says the official of the web page named ‘We the People’ that hosts the initiative inviting petitions to the administration.
“The White House may disable user accounts, remove associated signatures and remove petitions created or signed by users that it has reasonable belief do not satisfy the above rules,” the web page said.
“Some technical issues with some of the signatures that needed to be looked into. Some of the signatures could potentially be removed if there is evidence of fraud,” The Hindustan Times quoted a White House official.
The petition seeking the US to designate Pakistan as state sponsor was created by a person who identified himself as RG on September 21. The petition received unprecedented reach with thousands of Indian Americans and others who shared similar thoughts signing up against Pakistan.
The petition gathered a record half a million signatures within days, five times the number needed to get a response from the Obama administration. The petition had 625,723 signatures when the White House officials decided to archive it suspecting signature fraud.
On the other hand, another petition opened by a Pakistan nation during the same time seeking the US to announce India as a state sponsor of terrorism has till now got 66,000 signatures, and it needs another 36,000 to become eligible to get a response from the Obama administration.
The online system of petitioning the White House is an initiative undertaken by Obama. It provides a window to American citizens and people across the world to bring to the notice of the administration a particular issue. The website promises a response from the White House within 60 days if the petition crosses 100,000 signatures within 30 days.