KARACHI: The runners-up in the election, who received backing from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have filed petitions contesting the results.
The Sindh High Court has received applications from a group of solicitors led by Jibran Nasir Advocate asking for the suspension of the notifications given to victorious candidates.
The petitioners claimed that Form 45 showed that they had received more votes than the candidates who were proclaimed the victors of the election.
The results of the election have been contested by PTI-backed candidates Aftab Jahangir, Tariq Hussain, Rabistan Khan, Ataullah, Salehzada, Khurram Sherzaman, Ramzan Ghanchi, Murad Shaikh, Dawa Khan Sabir, Ghulam Qadir, Faheem Khan, Syed Faisal Ali, Shakeel Ahmed, Bashir Sodhar, Abdul Qadeer, M. Yasir, and Shafeeq Shah.
Mustafa Kamal and Dr. Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan won MNA seats, although their results were contested earlier on Monday in the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Dawa Khan Sabir and Aftab Jahangir, two independent candidates supported by the PTI who were defeated by Mustafa Kamal and Farooq Sattar, contested the election results.
In his petition, Khan said that although Form 45 showed that he had won the poll with 53,000 votes, Form 47 purportedly altered the results, declaring Kamal the winner from NA-242.
The PTI-backed candidate’s attorney, Jibran Nasir, begged the SHC to invalidate the Form 47.
In addition, the high court heard a challenge against Dr. Farooq Sattar’s NA-244 win.
Re-elections have been mandated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) at a few polling places for one National Assembly and two provincial assembly constituencies.
A statement states that re-elections in the pertinent polling places will take place on February 15 and that the final results for these seats will be made public following the compilation of all available data.
Recounts will take place at polling places NA-88 Khushab-II, PS-18 Ghotki-I, and PK-90 Kohat-I, where complaints about vote paper theft or wastage were filed.
