A three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned a decision by the Lahore High Court declaring a recount of votes void in three Punjab constituencies.
The decision was made by a majority of 2-1 with Justice Aqeel Ahmad dissenting.
Objections were raised in NA-154 Lodhran, NA-81 Gujranwala, and NA-79 Gujranwala.
LHC had declared the decision to recount votes as invalid and had restored independent candidates to their seats.
It is pertinent to note that Muslim League (N) leader Azhar Qayyum Nahra had challenged the Lahore High Court’s decision to suspend the notification of his victory in NA-81.
In the 2024 general elections, PTI-backed independent candidate Chaudhry Bilal had been declared victorious by a margin of 7,791 votes.
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However, following a recount request, the Election Commission declared Azhar Qayyum the winning candidate by a margin of 3,100 votes. During the recount, at least 10,000 votes for Nahra were declared invalid.
Subsequently, Chaudhry Bilal challenged the Election Commission’s decision in the Lahore High Court. On April 4th, the High Court declared the notification of Azhar Qayyum Nahra’s victory in NA-81 null and void.
The court also ruled that the Election Commission cannot hear complaints against election disputes after the Election Tribunals begin functioning.
This story is being updated.
