ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has issued a stay order on the Election Tribunal’s proceedings following a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Amir Mughal.
The court’s order halts the tribunal’s actions regarding his election petition, effectively preventing any further proceedings in the case related to Islamabad’s electoral constituencies.
The Islamabad Election Tribunal had scheduled a hearing for cases concerning the three Islamabad constituencies on December 24, 2024. However, the High Court’s stay order temporarily suspends any actions related to the petitions, including the case involving Amir Mughal’s challenge against the results in constituency NA-46.
Mughal, who contested the election from NA-46 and was defeated by MNA Anjum Aqeel Khan, had filed a petition challenging the victory.
His legal counsel, Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, presented the case before Chief Justice Amir Farooq, who issued the order to suspend the tribunal’s proceedings. The court also issued notices to both parties, asking them to provide responses to the petition.
The High Court’s ruling means the Election Tribunal will not be able to proceed with the case in NA-46 or the other constituencies under review, as the tribunal had also planned hearings related to them. Mughal’s legal challenge also includes questioning the appointment of a new election tribunal, which he claims was improper.
Previously, last week, the Islamabad High Court had issued a similar stay order in response to a petition filed by PTI candidate Shoaib Shaheen, preventing the tribunal from continuing with proceedings concerning his election petition. The next hearing in the case is expected to be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office.
