QUETTA: An Election Tribunal on Monday rejected a plea filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mujeebur Rehman Muhammad Hassani, challenging the victory of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Zabid Ali Reki from PB-31 Washuk in the general elections.
Justice Abdullah Baloch, presiding over the tribunal, announced the reserved judgment, stating that the petition was dismissed due to a lack of sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations of rigging.
The tribunal found that the petitioner failed to provide adequate proof to support his claims. During the proceedings, Zabid Ali Reki’s legal team, comprising Kamran Murtaza, Qazi Najeeb, and Baloch Khan, defended their client. In contrast, the petitioner and his counsel were absent from the hearings. Representatives from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Shahzad Aslam and Naseer Ahmed, were also present.
Zabid Ali Reki was declared the winner from PB-31 Washuk in the general elections, securing 17,058 votes against PML-N’s Mujeebur Rehman, who garnered 16,008 votes. Hassani had filed the plea citing irregularities and rigging but failed to convince the tribunal.
Separately, in another election-related development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) recently lost a Sindh Assembly seat (PS-112) to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) following a vote recount. PTI’s Sarbuland Khan was defeated by PPP’s Asif Moosa after the Election Commission of Pakistan revised the results. Asif Moosa took the oath as a member of the Sindh Assembly following the recount, which placed him at 11,724 votes compared to Sarbuland Khan’s 9,943.
The Election Tribunal’s decision underscores the importance of concrete evidence in contesting election outcomes while highlighting the evolving political dynamics in Pakistan.
