Lingering petition: After five years, election tribunal announces verdict

PPP’s candidate had challenged his rival’s victory from NA-211 in the 2008 elections.

KARACHI: As the candidates from the 2013 elections filed fresh appeals in the election tribunal, a five-year-old petition was finally wrapped up on May 19. Announcing its verdict, the tribunal dismissed a petition filed by Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate, Zulfiqar Ali Bahan, who had challenged the victory of his rival, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, on NA-211 (Naushero Feroze-I) in the 2008 general elections.

In his plea, Bahan had accused Jatoi of winning the election through pre-poll and post-poll rigging. The petitioner had also alleged the polling agents and returning officers had been appointed by Jatoi so that the results would be in his favour.

“Under the Representation of Peoples Act 1976, an election tribunal is bound to decide the election petition within 120 days,” said Hassan Sabir, Jatoi’s lawyer. “This plea which was filed in 2008, however, had been pending for various reasons, especially due to changing of the heads of the tribunal who were serving judges of the high court.”

Using the issue of the authenticity of the legislators’ degrees for political gains - that arose after former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s regime dissolved - the petitioner, Bahan, had pleaded to the tribunal to verify Jatoi’s degree from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro.



Although the verification process prolonged the hearing, Hassan Sabir pointed out that it benefitted the defendant as the university registrar confirmed to the tribunal that Jatoi’s degree was legally valid and authentic.

The lawyer said that the election tribunal, headed by Justice Nisar Muhammad Sheikh, had reserved its verdict after hearing final arguments from all the sides at the Sindh High Court Larkana circuit bench on May 16. “The tribunal has dismissed the plea, clearing my client of all the allegations,” claimed the lawyer.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2013.