LAHORE: An election tribunal on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Dr Yasmin Rashid challenging Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif’s victory from Lahore’s NA-130 constituency in the 2024 general elections.
Dr Rashid, who is currently incarcerated, had submitted the petition in April last year through her legal counsel, arguing that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unlawfully notified Nawaz Sharif as the returned candidate. She alleged that the election outcome was manipulated in favour of the PML-N leader.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the election tribunal, headed by Justice (retd) Rana Zahid Mahmood, ruled that the ECP’s notification declaring Nawaz Sharif the winner from NA-130 was lawful and valid, effectively rejecting the PTI leader’s challenge.
Vote Margin and Election Claims
Nawaz Sharif secured the NA-130 seat with 171,024 votes, while Dr Yasmin Rashid, who contested the election as an independent candidate, finished second with 115,043 votes.
The petition was part of broader claims by the Imran Khan-founded PTI, which has repeatedly alleged that its mandate was undermined in the February 8, 2024, general elections. The party has asserted that constituency results were altered through discrepancies in Form 47 documents, which contain provisional consolidated vote counts prepared by returning officers.
Forms 45 and 47 Explained
PTI leaders have also cited Form 45s to support their claims, stating these documents showed a different electoral outcome. Form 45, officially known as the Presiding Officer’s Results of the Count, records polling station-level vote tallies and bears the signatures and thumb impressions of presiding officers and polling agents.
Form 47, on the other hand, compiles results from all polling stations within a constituency, excluding postal ballots, and forms the basis for provisional constituency-level outcomes.
With the tribunal’s ruling, Nawaz Sharif’s victory from NA-130 Lahore stands legally affirmed, closing one of the high-profile election challenges stemming from the 2024 polls.
