Pakistan

Hours after being de-seated, Khawaja Saad Rafique challenges tribunal verdict in SC

ECP de-notifies Rafique's membership from NA-125 following tribunal's May 4 verdict

Hasnaat Mailk/irfan Ghauri May 07, 2015

PHOTO: DAILY CAPITAL

ISLAMBAD: As Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued a notification annulling Khawaja Saad Rafique's membership in the National Assembly from NA-125, Rafique moved to the Supreme Court to challenge the tribunal's verdict.

"Pursuant to the May 4 judgement passed by the election tribunal in petition titled 'Hamid Khan vs Saad Rafique and Others', the ECP hereby denotifies the membership of Khawaja Saad rafique," the election commission's notification said.

Read: Election tribunal rules in favour of PTI in NA-125, announces re-polling

However, Rafique challenged the tribunal's verdict in the Supreme Court and announced that he will participate in the re-polls and contest elections from the constituency once again.

Rafique’s counsel Khawaja Haris filed a 15-page appeal against the election tribunal May 4 verdict calling for re-polling in the NA-125 Lahore Cantt constituency. In his appeal, he stated the tribunal judgment is against the law.

“PTI candidate Hamid Khan failed to prove the case as pleaded by him in front of the election tribunal and therefore the judgment is against the law,” the appeal contended.

“The election tribunal has misconstrued the law,” it added.

Further, the appeal stated the existence of an election cell in the office of district returning officers is also presumptive as there is no evidence supporting the claim.

On May 4, an election tribunal ruled in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Monday, whereby re-polling in the coveted NA-125, Lahore Cantt constituency was announced.

The decision came after the tribunal found irregularities in the polls that were held in the constituency in the May 2013 general elections.

Read: NA-125: PML-N to appeal election tribunal's verdict in SC

According to former ECP secretary Kanwar Dilshad, Rafique would have had to resign after the declaration of the NA-125 polls null and void by the election tribunal.

COMMENTS (19)

Bilal Ali | 9 years ago | Reply PMLN and Saad Rafique will have no problem winning NA125. This is my constituency and Nawaz League is favored by the middle class. Those of you live in this area try checking out the sentiment of shop owners and house helps. Having said this, if the superior thinks Saad Rafique's petition carry weight, they will allow it. No harm since Imran Khan trusts the superior judiciary. The problem with PTI folks is that they want everything there way, which is wrong and the reason why I regret voting PTI. This time I am voting PTI

salman | 9 years ago | Reply @OBSERVER: Sorry to burst your bubble...but I was there on the day and the protest was started by voters and PTI workers joined soon after. IK was in posession of an official nadra document. It was the nadra prescan report on na122 that was sent by the tribunal to ik and ayaz Sadiq lawyers some weeks ago. The news report on ET yesterday even mentions that it was the prescan report. Ik never said it was the scan result report. And nadra chairman clarified that. Now please tell me where you see the lie in any of this?

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Hassan Zahoor Khan | 9 years ago | Reply Really saddened by the decision taken by the Tribunal, but law has to take its own due course. I dont know Saad Sb, personally or from near nor I am from his constituency, but what I have seen through media that & heard from my friends(who travel through train regularly) the positive developments in Pakistan Railways. I have hopes that he will have the decision from the Supreme Court in his favor, great step by Nawaz Sb, appointing him as Musheer e Railway, this way continuity in PR leadership can be guaranteed.

OBSERVER | 9 years ago | Reply @Anarchist...not voters but PTI workers game out in protest..result of cantonment enough to so that PTI losing sympathy Mr.Niazi is a biggest liars "Usman Mubeen had told reporters on Wednesday that the PTI chairman had shown a document to the media which gave a false impression that he (Imran) was in possession of an official report."

shahid | 9 years ago | Reply Salute to the people of NA 125, you people were the first one to come on roads against this insanity, this cheating. Its you who have given a fatal blow to this thief. Bravo.

Zeeshan | 9 years ago | Reply Love the way ET is promoting the insaafi comments, I say let the voters decide. Believe you me the result will not be different to the much hyped NA-246.

Anarchist | 9 years ago | Reply @Ch. Allah Daad: NA 125 is one of the constituencies where voters themselves, without call from PTI, protested after results were announced. N League is not strong in this area & they did not want re-polling in July when the summer sun is at most merciless and so is load-shedding. I remember in August 2014 Nadeem Malik said to Khawaja Sad that he is for audit of votes by NADRA. Khawaja looked sheepish. He always looked sheepish when confronted about scrutiny.

oBSERVER | 9 years ago | Reply This man was very much conscious of what he had been up to. That is why he always reacted awkwardly when confronted with reality. The Appeal is to ultimately put blame elsewhere. This is NOT the Supreme Court that Nawaz Sharif and his minions attacked and there is no Jehangir Karamat. This is the NEW PAKISTAN.

Malik | 9 years ago | Reply @ CH. A Daad...........in your dreams dear lol

Iqbal Hadi Zaidi | 9 years ago | Reply What a mockery in my beloved Pakistan where 1st the government did not agree to accept that there had been rigging in election but due to consistent pressure from Imran they agreed to conduct investigations and an election tribunal was formed to dig out the thruth which as such deseated Railway Minister belonging to the ruling party PML (N) who is backed to challenge the election tribunal verdict in Supreme Court which is nothing but negation of invetigations. Why to go for it when it is not to be honored? Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / zaidi4merdiplomat@hotmail.com

salman | 9 years ago | Reply He is afraid of losing the elections. Damage has been done to his reputation for ever. He will be remembered as fraud and a cheater from now onwards.

Ch. Allah Daad | 9 years ago | Reply Appeal was not needed. We could have defeated PTI very easily and have buried their allegations forever.

Tango | 9 years ago | Reply Khawaja Saad rafique: No need to worry, Don't get dis-heartened because you were innocent abd above all you had trust in the courts.Your trusted judges in the judicial commission have given their verdict. Its time for you to take some rest now and so would be the railways at ease. Let some decent and deserving candidate come and take your place.

BabaRafique | 9 years ago | Reply This guy!

Arif | 9 years ago | Reply When does a candidate have the decency to resign in Pakistan? They only leave when they are forced via disqualification or strict orders and often even then still linger around- like the H'ble Senator Rehman Malik throughout 2012-13.

MMB | 9 years ago | Reply I will say again and again "IMRAN KHAN ZINDABAD" It is not easy to fight all these looters and mafia but you stood ALONE against all, people made fun of you people cursed you but you were firm, people mocked you people disrespected you but you kept going, people tried to bring you down, the made you fall down but you stood up and kept going, you are still continueing, we are with you, please don't give up for the sake of Pakistan. Salute to you my leader

ishrat salim | 9 years ago | Reply Grapes are sour Saad Sb. Please vacate & return all the monies of almost 2 years to national exchequer. It is tax payers money Saad Sb.

salman | 9 years ago | Reply Sad rafiq is making contradictory statememts. On one hand he is willing to fight reelection, on the other hand he is running to supreme court to avoid reelection. Lol Obviously he knows he can't win without "irregularities"!

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