A number of challenges have been filed in the Lahore High Court challenging the victory of prominent PML-N candidates, such as Aleem Khan, the head of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), and three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The petitioners claimed that because they were excluded from witnessing the aggregation of election results at RO offices while Form-47 was being prepared, their rights had been violated.
PTI-backed independent candidates who finished in second place said they were forcibly removed from watching the result consolidation process by police officers acting on the orders of different ROs. They maintained that this eviction is an obvious breach of the just process for being there for the important part.
In addition to demanding that ROs carry out the consolidation process in accordance with the Election Act of 2017 and the Election Rules of 2017, enabling petitioners and their representatives to be present, the petitioners sought the high court to throw aside Form-47, which was completed in their absence.
The victories of PML-N candidates, such as Nawaz Sharif from NA-130, Maryam Nawaz from NA-119, Khawaja Asif from NA-71 Sialkot, Hamza Shehbaz Sharif from NA-118, Atta Tarar from NA-127, Saiful Maluk Khokhar from NA-126, and others from various constituencies, are being contested by independent candidates backed by the PTI. The win of Aleem Khan, the IPP candidate, in NA-117 is also in question.
On the same grounds of being forced out of RO offices, PTI-backed independent candidates running for five seats in the Punjab Assembly are also contesting the PML-N candidates’ victory in PP-169, PP-53, PP-47, PP-62, and PP-46.
Ishtiaq Ahmed Samsialvi, an independent candidate, contested Nawaz Sharif’s victory from NA-130, claiming that he and other candidates were asked to leave the RO office when Dr. Yasmeen Rashid, the candidate sponsored by the PTI, was ahead. In order to facilitate the consolidation process in his presence, the petitioner asked the court to set aside Form-47.
In NA-119, Shahzad Farooq, a different candidate supported by the PTI, contested Maryam Nawaz’s victory by alleging that he and his polling agents were forcibly removed from the RO’s office when the results were in his favor. In addition to pleading with the court to stop the RO from publishing the outcome, he asked for copies of Form-45 and permission to take part in the consolidation process.
Contestants supported by the PTI, such as Rihana Dar, contended that because their results were in their favor, they and their representatives were taken forcibly out of the ROs’ offices. They beg the court to order the ROs to carry out the consolidation process in their presence and to disregard the Form-47 that was prepared while they were away.
Earlier on February 9, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of the LHC halted further proceedings regarding the NA-128 election results and suspended the RO’s Form-47 activity while Salman Akram Raja, the independent candidate sponsored by the PTI, or his representative was not present. After a request contesting Raja’s removal from the premises during the consolidation of election results, the order was issued.
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