Qaisar Jamal Khan. PHOTO: FILE
With just a week left for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned protests against alleged rigging in last year’s general elections, an election tribunal on Monday declared the victory of a PTI lawmaker from NA-47 void and ordered fresh elections for the seat.
In its short order, tribunal judge Yahya Zahid Gillani set aside the victory of PTI’s Qaisar Jamal Khan on the petition of another candidate Abid Afridi and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold fresh elections.
The frontier regions of Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, DI Khan, Tank and Lakki Marwat form NA-47.
The order of the tribunal states that detailed reasons of the disqualification would be divulged later and through the short order, Afridi’s petition is accepted. Qaisar’s victory was declared void under section 67-D of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1976.
“The notification of ECP dated May 22, 2013 declaring Qaisar the returned candidate for NA-47 is set aside, the seat of the said constituency is declared vacant and ECP is directed to hold fresh elections in the said constituency in accordance with the law,” the order reads.
It further states that any aggrieved party may file an appeal at the Supreme Court against the decision within 30 days.
Barrister Gohar Ali, counsel for petitioner Afridi, told the tribunal that Kamil Sherani, the candidate of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, had applied for a tree as an election symbol which was accepted by the authorities but later a corn was published on the ballot papers.
Ali further said many voters boycotted the elections over the symbol’s change which benefited opposing candidates. The law states that a symbol acceptable to the candidate should be allotted, otherwise ballot papers stand cancelled.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2014.
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For a nation that creates it perception by reading and hearing headlines, this news article is 'highly misguiding'. This disqualification has nothing to do with rigging or anything, it was purely an ECP blunder. Yesterday, I heard an PMLN representative in a talk show quoting this issue (NA-47) as a an example of rigging. Either he was unaware of the true story or he deliberately fabricated it. In either case he needs to be enlightened.
This is an other proof of corrupt ECP. PTI should use this against ECP as it is ECP fault for not alotting correct symbols to candidates. Instead ECP is punishing an elected representative of the people as they have done in other constituencies where losers such as Khwaja Saad, Speaker etc are declared as winner and actual winners are denied. Now an other actual winner is being denied.
No rigging allegation here. An error made by the ECP. Qaiser Jamal is not and cannot be accused of any kind of rigging.
This is perfect example of Yellow Journalism.. "Unfair Polling" because PTI Canditate is responsible for alloting the symbol & printing ballot papers, RIGHT??? Headline is totally misleading & manipulaitve!!!!
Abid ur rehman lost election by a margin of 8000+ votes as he received only 3k votes. regarding kamil sherani election symbol issue on which this decision is based. kamil sherani didn't contested the polls in favor of another candidate. also he have already submitted an affidavit in election commission that he don't have any issue with the result of the election result. so hopefully supreme court will rule in Qaisar jamil afridi favor. beside all this Abid ur rehman isn't in any position to win the election and he only want to create hurdle for Qaisar coz of his family disputes with him.