On Tuesday, the Sindh High Court (SHC) resolved approximately 50 petitions challenging provisional election results for National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. The court directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to address petitioners’ complaints through speaking orders by February 22.
The SHC instructed the ECP to address discrepancies in Form-45 and Form-47 (provisional results) regarding result consolidation. The court emphasized that the ECP should scrutinize records provided by the petitioners or available with the ECP.
A two-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, allowed aggrieved parties to seek remedies under electoral law, including approaching election tribunals for other grievances.
Earlier, the SHC had partially heard arguments on the maintainability of 45 petitions, primarily filed by independent candidates supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, challenging provisional results for 16 National Assembly and over 20 provincial assembly seats. Additional petitions were filed, including those by PTI-backed candidates against Form-47 for two National Assembly and two provincial assembly seats.
The PTI contested the victory of 15 MQM-Pakistan candidates, including senior leaders Dr. Khaliq Maqbool Siddiqui, Mustafa Kamal, and Farooq Sattar, as well as three PPP candidates on a total of 18 National Assembly seats in Karachi.
The petitioners urged the SHC to void the contested Form-47 and direct the ECP to rectify it based on Form-45 collected by their election agents.
During Tuesday’s hearing, lawyers for petitioners, respondents, federal and provincial law officers, and ECP representatives presented their arguments. The SHC, in its order, disposed of all petitions with specific directives.
The court considered the common grievance of petitioners regarding the violation of Elections Act, 2017, and directed the ECP to treat them as complaints, deciding them expeditiously by February 22 through speaking orders.
The bench also mandated the ECP to resolve issues related to result consolidation and discrepancies in Form-45 and Form-47 after scrutinizing the records. If further grievances arise, aggrieved parties are free to seek remedies through the relevant forums, including tribunals.
PTI candidates challenged provisional results for various National Assembly seats, alleging discrepancies between Form-45 and Form-47, indicating a change in outcomes during result consolidation at the returning officers’ offices.
