The Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed a petition by Ghulam Rasool of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who challenged the election result of PB-14, claiming bias by returning officers. The court upheld the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Mahmood Khan.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa questioned Rasool’s lawyer about his claim of manipulated election results. The lawyer argued that the results did not align with the data on Forms-45 and accused the officers of partiality. However, Chief Justice Isa stressed that the actual evidence lies in the votes themselves, not in the Forms-45, which are filled out by presiding officers.
The chief justice emphasized that any objections should target the recount process, specifically whether ballot boxes were tampered with. The petitioner’s lawyer persisted, alleging fraud but failed to present evidence supporting the claim of bias or misconduct.
In concluding remarks, Chief Justice Isa stated, “Even if the presiding officer is an enemy, the decision is determined by the votes. Forms-45 hold no significance in comparison.” The court rejected the petitioner’s request for a recount in seven of the 96 polling stations, affirming Mahmood Khan’s electoral win.
This case follows broader allegations of electoral irregularities by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of tampering with Forms-45 in several constituencies after the February 8 elections. PTI claimed discrepancies across Balochistan, Sindh, and other provinces, where vote counts allegedly exceeded the number of registered voters at certain polling stations.
