Islamabad [Pakistan], June 11 (ANI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approved the petitions of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers in Islamabad, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. The petitioners had requested the transfer of the cases to other poll tribunals.
The electoral watchdog approved three PML-N lawmakers’ had filed a petition to transfer their cases to other election tribunals in which their election victory was challenged by opponents with allegations of vote rigging.
In its verdict, the ECP ordered transferring the case to other tribunals to hear the pending petitions against the PML-N leaders’ win in three constituencies.
Notably, three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidates — Muhammad Ali Bokhari, Shoaib Shaheen and Aamir Mughal had challenged the election win of the PML-N Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from Islamabad constituencies after the polls held on February 8 by levelling the poll manipulation allegations.
The decision was announced after ECP’s four-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja had reserved its verdict on the pleas registered by PML-N lawmakers in the National Assembly including Anjum Aqeel Khan, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Khurram Shehzad Nawaz on June 7.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also suspended the notification of election win of the lawmakers while their petitions were being heard by election tribunals. The PML-N expressed a lack of confidence in the tribunals and requested to transfer the cases to other poll tribunals.
Pakistan held its 12th national general election on February 8, amid allegations of rigging and the shutdown of cellular and internet services. The PTI dominated the election results, with the highest number of successful candidates in the February 8 general elections. However, the party has alleged rigging in the polls.
Earlier in April, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman said that the polls in 2024 were “more rigged” than the elections held in 2018, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.
While addressing JUI-F’s public gathering in Pishin on April 20, Rehman said that the Pakistan government was imposed through ‘rigging’.
He said, “The government imposed through fake mandate does not have a right to rule.”He stated that JUI-F had carried out a movement against in what he termed the “rigged” polls in 2018.
The JUI-F chief said Pakistan is being made an unsafe state as the country is heading towards turmoil through “ill policies,” according to ARY News report.
Rehman said, “The polls in 2024 were more rigged than the 2018 elections. The fake representatives of the people have been sent to the assemblies with a fake mandate.” He further said that JUI-F will not accept the same at any cost.
Maulana Fazalur Rehman alleged that the assemblies were bought for millions of rupees. He said, “The Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh assemblies were bought for up to Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 100 billion,” according to ARY News report.
He announced that JUI-F would continue the struggle against what he termed “massive rigging” in the elections held on February 8, adding that their movement will be moving to Karachi and Punjab. (ANI)
