The electoral body’s notification is still valid, as Yasmin Rashid’s petition has been rejected on technical grounds.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Photo: Screenshot
LAHORE:
An election court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s notification declaring Nawaz Sharif the winner in NA-130 Lahore, dismissing a challenge filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Dr Yasmin Rashid.
The decision ends their attempt to overturn Sharif’s victory in the February 2024 general elections in the constituency, also known as NA-130 (Lahore-XIV).
The court, headed by Justice Rana Zahid Mahmood, rejected Dr Rashid’s plea on technical grounds. The ruling means that the official result reported by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will remain in force.
According to the published results of the February 8, 2024 elections, the three-time prime minister got 179,310 votes in NA-130, while Dr. Rashid got 104,485.
Dr Rashid had addressed the court in the weeks after the election, arguing through her lawyers that the ECP did not follow proper procedure when notifying Sharif’s victory. He alleged that the result had been manipulated in his favor and requested that the notification be quashed.
His legal team maintained that the outcome was based on incorrect documentation and flawed processes. They argued that the consolidated results of the ECP, commonly referred to in public debate as Form-47, contradicted the polling station-level results recorded in Form-45, which they claimed showed a different result.
Form-45 is the official “count result” prepared at each polling station and signed by polling staff. It has been repeatedly cited by PTI-backed candidates in post-election challenges across the country following the 2024 general election, forming the basis of multiple petitions challenging the official results.
The court’s decision in NA-130 is one of several expected rulings in election disputes filed after the February election, as courts continue to consider challenges centered on alleged discrepancies between polling station records and consolidated results.
