An election tribunal in Peshawar, headed by Justice (R) Lal Jan Khatak, dismissed the election petition filed by Taimur Saleem Jhagra, the candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed PK-79 (Peshawar 8), and confirmed the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Jalal Khan in the provincial assembly elections.
The court completed the hearing on Monday and rejected Jhagra’s petition. Lawyer Yaseen Raza represented Khan in the case.
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In his petition, Jhagra argued that as per Form 45, he had won by a huge majority, but Khan was declared winner as per Form 47 despite receiving less votes. His lawyer argued that the elections had been seriously rigged and the results manipulated, with evidence present in the official record.
The petitioner told the court that as per the court docket records, he had obtained a clear majority as per Form 45, but the notice was issued in favor of Khan. He made an application to the returning officer, which was rejected, prompting him to go to court. He asked the court to invalidate Khan’s victory and declare him the winning candidate.
Khan’s lawyer told the court that the petitioner had ignored several important legal points and made multiple errors in the election petition, causing problems in the verification process. He said that according to election rules, anyone filing an election petition must present all facts accurately in the record.
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The affidavit filed by Jhagra incorrectly listed his father’s name as Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, while his correct name is Muhammad Saleem Khan. It argued that other legal requirements were also not met and that, for technical reasons, the petition should be dismissed.
After hearing all the arguments, the court dismissed Jhagra’s election petition and confirmed Khan’s victory.
