Election tribunal ordered re-polling in NA-154 by nullifying election result
MULTAN, Pakistan: The Multan Election Tribunal on Wednesday announced its verdict according to which the election held in May 2013 in Lodhran’s NA-154 constituency was declared “null and void”.
In the verdict announced by the tribunal judge Justice (retd) Rana Zahid, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was ordered to conduct re-polling in the constituency.
Celebrations at Chairman’s residence #HaqKiHatTrick #NA154 #PTI pic.twitter.com/jhBQ8AHfCE
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 26, 2015
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
The tribunal judge had reserved the verdict on August 20 after the lawyers of both the parties completed their arguments.
The judgment came in response to a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jehangir Khan Tareen, alleging that massive rigging took place during the polling on May 11, 2013 in NA-154.
Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch had won the seat of the Nation Assembly from NA-154 as an independent candidate by obtaining 86,177 votes but later he joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The PTI’s Jehangir Tareen had emerged as runner up by securing 75,955 votes.
Jehangir Tareen also alleged that Siddique Baloch possessed a fake academic degree.
Earlier talking to media before the NA-154 verdict arrived, Jehangir Tareen said that if the judgment did not come in his favour, he would approach the Supreme Court of Pakistan. However, he said that he was very much satisfied and hopeful that NA-154 verdict would come in his favour.
The activists of both PML-N and PTI accompanied by their local leaders were also present outside the tribunal in a large number. The incidents of minor clashes were also reported between the two parties’ workers.
Earlier on August 22, the Election Tribunal in Lahore disqualified the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq by declaring the 2013 election in NA-122 Lahore as null and void.
However later, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq announced to challenge the tribunal verdict in the apex court.
The tribunal judge Kazim Ali Malik also nullified the results of PP-147 and PP-148 constituencies and ordered the ECP to carry out re-elections in NA-122, PP-147 and PP-148.
The NA-154 was among the four controversial constituencies where the PTI had demanded for voters’ thumbprint verification. The other three constituencies were Sialkot’s NA-110, Lahore’s NA-125 and Lahore’s NA-122.
