SC annuls election tribunal's verdict over NA-125 rigging case

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court has declared the decision of an election tribunal which ordered re-election in Lahore's NA-125 constituency null and void on Thursday here. A two-member bench of the Supreme Court Lahore Registry headed by Sheikh Azmat Saeed announced its verdict while accepting the appeal of former federal minister and PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique at Supreme Court Lahore Registry on Thursday. Khawaja Saad Rafique had challenged the election tribunal’s decision of re-polling on NA-125 in the Supreme Court. Earlier, Khawaja Saad filed an appeal wherein he had requested for setting aside the election tribunal’s decision regarding deseating him from the National Assembly. The election tribunal had also ordered for re-polling in the constituency NA-125 wherein Rafique was declared to be returning candidate. On May 4 of 2015, the election tribunal, on complaint of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hamid Khan, had ordered for re-election in Lahore’s NA-125 after irregularities were proven during the 2013 general elections. Rafique had secured 123,416 votes while Hamid Khan had obtained 84,495 votes from NA-125 constituency. However, Rafique moved an appeal against the said decision in the top court which in May 2015 suspended the decision of the tribunal. The top court had on March 19 reserved its judgment on the appeal of PML-N leader. 15-page appeal had stated, “PTI candidate Hamid Khan failed to prove the case as pleaded by him in front of the election tribunal and therefore the judgment is against the law.”  It added that the election tribunal had misconstrued the law.