LHC seeks ECP response on pleas challenging key candidates' wins

The Lahore High Court (LHC) sought responses from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday on petitions challenging the electoral victories of multiple prominent candidates including PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz and Khwaja Asif, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Aleem Khan among others.

The court heard pleas of PTI-backed independents and other candidates who claim the returning officers (ROs) manipulated vote counts in Form 45 and 47.

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PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s victory was challenged by PTI-backed candidate Mian Shahzad Farooq. The candidate urged the court to stop the ECP from issuing a final result of the poll.

The LHC reserved its verdict on the admissibility of the plea.

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PTI-backed candidate challenged IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan claiming that Khan had lost the election as per Form 45, but was declared the winner in Form 47.

He maintained that the ECP had failed to fulfill its responsibility and urged the court to nullify the notification declaring Aleem Khan as the winner.

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PTI-backed candidate from PP-169 Mian Mehmood-ur-Rashid challenged the victory of PML-N’s Malik Khalid Khokhar. He also stated that as per Form 45, the latter had lost the election but was declared the winner in Form 47.

The court ordered to stop the release of the final poll results and sought the ECP’s response on the matter.

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Umair Khan Niazi, a PTI-backed candidate, claimed having won the election from PP-170. However, he said his defeat was manipulated through varying differences in his votes mentioned in Form 45 and 47 issued by the RO.

Niazi pleaded to the court to order the RO to compile Form 47 afresh.

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PTI-backed candidate Yasir Gillani challenged the victory of PML-N’s Samiullah Khan. During the hearing, the ECP's lawyer informed the court that the electoral watchdog has been hearing pleas against election results and that election tribunals will be formed in a day or two.

He added that every complainant claimed to have Form 45.

Khan's counsel Azam Nazeer Tarar expressed the possibility that the Form 45 of the winning and losing candidate may differ, claiming that earlier a few losing candidates had forged the results of Form 45.

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PTI lawyer and independent candidate Salman Akram Raja challenged the victory of IPP’s Aun Chaudhry. The court reserved a verdict on the plea challenging Aun’s victory.

Besides the LHC also reserved its verdict on the admissibility of petitions challenging the victory of PML-N’s Khawaja Asif, Atta Tarar, and others.