PESHAWAR: Two election tribunals on Monday began hearing petitions against the results of the Feb 8 general elections and issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan and candidates for response.

The petitions filed by 10 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed independents and one Pakistan Peoples Party nominee were heard by the tribunals comprising Justice Shakeel Ahmad and Justice Wiqar Ahmad of the Peshawar High Court.

The petitioners included PTI-backed candidates Malik Shahab, Arbab Asim, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, Arbab Jehandad, Sajid Nawaz, Mehmood Jan, Ali Zaman, Imran Khan, Hamidul Haq, and the PPP’s Amjad Khan Afridi.

Lawyers Shumail Ahmad Butt, Ali Gohar Durrani, Ali Azeem, and Imtiaz Ali appeared for the petitioners.

Put ECP, candidates on notice for response

During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioners claimed that election results were changed during Feb 8 general elections by the returning officers and district returning officers.

They added that the returning officers changed election results to declare losing candidates election winners.

The lawyers said the petitioners were in the possession of the original Form 45 showing that they won election by heavy margins but their victories were changed in Form 47.

After the preliminary hearing, the tribunals issued notices to the ECP and poll winners to submit their replies.

Election candidates and former KP ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Kamran Khan Bangash later told reporters that not only were the PTI-backed contestants deprived of their election symbol of “bat” but they were also denied the opportunities to run proper election campaigns.

Mr Jhagra alleged that election results in one national and eight provincial assembly constituencies in Peshawar were changed to declare their rivals winners on the “payment of millions of rupees.”

He said that the district returning officers and returning officers were responsible for the poll results manipulation.

“Fake Forms-45 were uploaded on the website of the ECP showing the extent of the rigging,” he insisted.

The PTI leader said that he has filed application with the Chamkani police station for the registration of FIR against DRO and RO. He said that some days ago he has received through courier genuine Form 45 of PK-79 in sealed envelope which he will present in court.

They also protested carrying pictures of DRO and RO on this occasion, and the protesters trampled on the officials’ pictures on this occasion.

Nine of the independents who filed the petitions belong to Peshawar. They include former ministers Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra (PK-79) and Kamran Khan Bangash (PK-82), former deputy speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mahmood Jan (PK-72), former MNAs Sajid Nawaz Khan (NA-28) and Hamidul Haq (PK-80), former MPA Arbab Jehandad Khan (PK-74), former Peshawar district nazim Mohammad Asim (PK-78), and lawyers Ali Zaman (PK-73) and Malik Shahab (PK-75). One independent candidate (PK-95), Imran Khan, is from the Kurram tribal district.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2024