PESHAWAR: The Election Tribunal on Friday dismissed the election petition filed against the results of National Assembly constituency NA-28 Peshawar-I and upheld the victory of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) candidate Noor Alam Khan.
The tribunal, headed by Justice (Retd) Lal Jan Khattak, heard the petition submitted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed independent candidate Sajid Nawaz.The petitioner alleged that he had won the February 8 general election and possessed Form-45 results as evidence.
He claimed to have secured over 100,000 votes, alleging that his vote count was reduced in Form-47, after which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officially declared Noor Alam Khan as the winner.
On the other hand, Noor Alam Khan’s counsel, Barrister Yasin Raza, informed the court that the petitioner had filed the election petition beyond the stipulated time.He added that the petitioner had also sought relaxation for the delay, which is not permissible under the Constitution and the law.
The counsel argued that the petitioner challenged the opponent’s victory four days after the deadline.According to the Election Act, an election result can be challenged within 45 days from the date the ECP issues the notification of success. Any petition filed after this period holds no legal standing.
He pointed out that the petitioner himself admitted to filing the petition late and requested leniency, effectively acknowledging his failure to approach the tribunal within the prescribed time.
