Tribunal bins challenge to Nawaz's electoral win

Dismisses plea filed by PTI's Yasmin Rashid against NA-130 results

LAHORE:

An election tribunal has upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) notification declaring Nawaz Sharif the winner in Lahore's NA-130, dismissing a challenge filed by PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid.

The decision ends Dr Yasmin's bid to overturn Sharif's victory in the February 2024 general election from the constituency, also known as NA-130 (Lahore-XIV).

The tribunal, headed by Judge Rana Zahid Mahmood, rejected Dr Yasmin's petition on technical grounds. The ruling means the official result notified by the ECP will remain in force.

According to the published results of the February 8, 2024 election, the three-time prime minister secured 179,310 votes in NA-130, while Dr Yasmin bagged 104,485.

The PTI leader had approached the tribunal in the weeks following polling, arguing through her lawyers that the ECP failed to follow proper procedure when it notified Sharif's victory. She alleged that the result had been manipulated in his favour and sought to have the notification set aside.

Her legal team contended that the outcome was based on incorrect documentation and flawed processes. They argued that the ECP's consolidated results, commonly referred to in public debate as Form-47, contradicted the polling-station level results recorded on Form-45, which they claimed showed a different outcome.

Form-45 is the official "result of the count" prepared at each polling station and signed by election staff. It has been repeatedly cited by PTI-backed candidates in post-election challenges across the country following the 2024 general election, forming the basis of multiple petitions contesting official results.

The tribunal's decision in NA-130 was among several rulings awaited in election disputes filed after the February 2024 polls, as courts continue to examine challenges centred on alleged discrepancies between polling-station records and consolidated results.

The February 8 general election was followed by weeks of disputes and competing claims over results in multiple constituencies, with PTI-backed candidates alleging that outcomes were altered during consolidation and notification.