Election tribunal rules in favour of PTI, orders re-poll in NA-154

Tribunal deseats PML-N's Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch

MULTAN: An election tribunal probing rigging allegations in NA-154, Multan constituency announced on Wednesday its verdict in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Jahangir Tareen and ordered re-election.


Deseating Pakistan Muslim League—Nawaz's (PML-N) Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch, election tribunal Justice Rana Zahid Mehmood declared the poll result null and void.

According to the short order, massive irregularities were reported in the polls with no mention of rigging, Express News reported.

Read: Tribunal terms Ayaz Sadiq's election null and void

Tareen – a runner-up candidate at NA-154 constituency in the 2013 general elections – had filed an application against the winning candidate, Siddique Baloch, who later joined the PML-N.

Speaking to the media, Tareen said the verdict puts a big question mark on the credibility of the entire 2013 general elections.

“Imran Khan had asked for scrutiny of four constituencies, decisions in three of them have been overturned,” he said.

“We will contest and win the poll,” the PTI leader added.

He also demanded the resignations of four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

“They have no moral and ethical grounds to hold their positions,” he said.

PTI chairman’s wife Reham Khan termed the verdict a hat-trick for Imran.

Khan scores a hat-trick #NA154

— Reham Khan (@RehamKhan1) August 26, 2015

Chairman Imran Khan Celebrating Third wicket of PMLN! #HaqKiHatTrick pic.twitter.com/SAAVIkSuqJ

— ISF - Official (@ISFPakistan) August 26, 2015

Chairman @ImranKhanPTI celebrating the win at Bani Gala with Sheikh Rashid #HaqKiHatTrick pic.twitter.com/jHpFrvFE6C

— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 26, 2015

Imran also congratulated Tareen following the tribunal's verdict.

JKT's long, arduous & determined struggle for justice in NA 154 vindicated by verdict of Election Tribunal in his favour. Congratulations.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 26, 2015

Earlier, accepting a plea by PTI, the apex court on Friday vacated the Lahore High Court (LHC) stay order on the verification of thumb impression at a National Assembly constituency in Lodhran district of Punjab.

Read: PML-N loses big wicket

The move comes days National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was unseated by an election tribunal of Punjab on Saturday after it invalidated his election of NA-122 (Lahore-V) and ordered re-polling in the constituency.

PML-N representative Sadiq had defeated the PTI chairman in the May 2013 general elections to clinch the seat. Imran, however, challenged Sadiq’s victory.

The tribunal’s judge, Kazim Malik, also ordered re-election in PP-147, where PML-N’s Mohsin Latif had defeated PTI’s Shoaib Siddiqui.