Rigging allegations lead to wave of litigation
Pakistan
Chaos erupts after the election as contestants accuse their rivals of rigging
LAHORE (Usman Fayyaz) - In the aftermath of the recent elections, a wave of challenges has swept through various constituencies as contestants dispute their rivals' victories and contest the results in courts.
Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif, the three-time prime minister and PML-N supremo, has challenged his rival's victory in NA-15 Mansehra.
Unable to accept his defeat, he filed a petition stating that Form-45 from more than 125 polling stations hadn't been accessed due to harsh climate and blocked roads in the constituency. Nawaz requested in the petition to halt the official result in NA-15.
On the other hand, his victory in NA-130 has been challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC). Ishtiaq Chaudhry, the counsel for an independent candidate, has filed the petition against Nawaz Sharif's victory in NA-130, making the returning officer, the Election Commission of Pakistan, and Nawaz Sharif respondents.
The petition stated that Nawaz Sharif lost the electoral battle in NA-130 as per Form-45, but the RO allegedly declared Sharif victorious in Form-47. The counsel claimed his client was the winner of NA-130, accusing his client's opponent of rigging.
Maryam Nawaz
Maryam Nawaz's success in polls from Lahore's constituency NA-119 has been challenged in the LHC.
A petition was filed by Shahzad Farooq, an independent candidate backed by the PTI, stating that the presiding officers did not issue Form 45, and the returning officer declared the result in absentia.
The plea stated that Maryam Nawaz had won the seat through rigging. The plea requested the court to order the RO to reorganise Form-47 and declare Maryam Nawaz's victory null and void.
Atta Tarar
An independent candidate, Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, has challenged the victory of PML-N leader Atta Tarar in NA-127. He made the RO, the ECP and Atta Tarar party in the filed petition accusing the rival of rigging.
Abdul Aleem Khan
The victory of Abdul Aleem Khan, a leader of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), has also been challenged in NA-117. Ali Aijaz Buttar, an independent candidate, has raised objections, arguing that Khan's victory is contrary to Form-45 outcome.
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Aijaz's petition seeks a judicial order to authenticate the Form-45 results and halt the ECP from declaring the final outcome until a recount is conducted.
Shoaib Shaheen
PTI-backed independent candidate Shoaib Shaheen has challenged the results of NA-47 in the Islamabad High Court. Shaheen has contested the decision of the RO, asserting that their victory is evident from Form-47.
Shahin emphasised the need for transparency in the electoral process amidst mounting pressure on ROs.
Mian Mehmoodur Rashid
PTI-backed independent candidate Mian Mehmoodur Rashid has filed a challenge against the victory of rival candidate Khalid Khokhar in the LHC. The petition named the RO and ECP among the respondents.
The petition asserted that Khalid Khokhar has been declared the winner based on Form-47 despite the fact that he lost according to Form-45.
The plea demanded that the court ordered the release of Form-45 results and restrain the ECP from announcing the final outcome until a thorough review is conducted.
Haleem Adil Sheikh
in Karachi, Haleem Adil Sheikh has challenged the outcome of NA-238 in the Sindh High Court. The PTI candidate claims to have garnered more than 71,000 votes in the constituency according to Form-45.
Read More: Political parties take to streets against 'rigging' in general elections
The petition alleged tampering with the results in Form-47, leading to the declaration of victory for the MQM candidate Sadiq Iftikhar who purportedly received 54,000 votes. Haleem Adil Sheikh sought to invalidate the success of the MQM candidate and demanded a reevaluation of the election results.
Arslan Khalid
Arslan Khalid, an independent candidate supported by the PTI, has lodged a challenge against the result of NA-248 in the Sindh High Court (SHC).
According to the petition filed in the SHC, Arslan Khalid claimed to have secured a majority with 65,000 votes in NA-248. The petition called for the nullification of Form-47, alleging violations of the law during its preparation.
Arslan Khalid has requested the court to invalidate the victory of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) candidate.
Basharat Raja
Basharat Raja, another independent candidate supported by the PTI, has challenged Form-47 and election results for NA-55 in the Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench).
The petition named the RO, the ECP and others respondents in the petition.
Jan Sher Junejo
Jan Sher Junejo, a candidate for PS-98 from Karachi, has also challenged the election results in the Sindh High Court.
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The petitioner stated that according to Form-45, he received 12,167 votes while the MQM candidate, Arsalan Parvez, received 1,772 votes. However, the MQM candidate was declared successful as per Form-47. The petition requested the court to declare Form-47 null and void.
