An election tribunal of the Lahore High Court, presided over by Justice Anwar Hussain, has ordered the Election Commission to offer the Form 45 document on July 23. This order is in response to an appeal against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s election victory from Lahore’s PP-159 constituency.
Legal Proceedings and Arguments
The court has granted the Election Commission’s lawyer time to present the original Form 45 records. The tribunal questioned why Form 45 should have the presiding officer’s signature. Be available to other candidates in the constituency. It was not uploaded to the website.
Mehr Sharafat, the opposing candidate, argued that the notification of Maryam Nawaz victory in PP-159 was issued contrary to the facts and should be suspended. In contrast Maryam Nawaz lawyer contended that the appeal is inadmissible and cannot be legally tried requesting its dismissal.
Tribunal’s Decision on NA-117
Separately, the Election Tribunal has postponed the hearing on the electoral petition to halt the notification of Aleem Khan’s victory from NA-117 Lahore until July 25. The court has allowed the Election Commission’s lawyer time to present the records and directed Aleem Khan’s lawyer to submit a response.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Sameer Khosa, argued that Aleem Khan had lost according to Form 45. But was declared the winner through alleged collusion by manipulating Form 47.
Key Issues Raised
- Form 45 Authenticity: The court seeks to verify the authenticity of Form 45. Which records polling station results and should be signed by the presiding officer.
- Transparency and Upload: Questions were raised about the failure to upload Form 45 to the Election Commission’s website, indicating potential issues with transparency.
- Legal Admissibility: Maryam Nawaz’s defense hinges on the argument that the appeal lacks legal grounds for a trial.
- Alleged Manipulation: The case against Aleem Khan involves allegations of manipulating election results through Form 47, which aggregates constituency-wide results.
Moving Forward
These complaints underscore the extent of transparency and adherence to legal techniques in electoral methods. The consequences of these hearings may have tremendous implications for the credibility of the election consequences. The political panorama in Punjab. People will closely watch the tribunal’s decisions as they address critical issues of electoral integrity and legal compliance.
