An election tribunal in Peshawar on Tuesday rejected the petition filed by former provincial minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Taimur Jhagra, who had challenged the election of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Jalal Khan as MPA from PK-79 in the February 2024 general elections. The decision was made on technical grounds, citing defects in the petition under the Elections Act, 2017.
Read More: Tribunal rejects Jhagra’s petition, upholds PML-N victory
Presided over by retired Justice Lal Jan Khattak, the tribunal pronounced a short order, noting that the petition was not maintainable. A detailed order is expected to be released later. Jhagra had alleged tampering of election documents, claiming that the official Forms-45 and Forms-47 from polling stations were manipulated to favour Jalal Khan.
According to Jhagra, the original Forms-45 submitted by polling agents showed him receiving 25,114 votes, while Jalal Khan had secured only 1,619. However, the official Form-47 declared Jalal Khan the winner with 16,031 votes and reduced Jhagra’s count to 11,495. Jhagra claimed he discovered the discrepancy through the Election Commission’s website, and alleged overwriting and tampering of official results.
Barrister Yaseen Raza Khan, representing Jalal Khan, argued that the petition contained several defects, including incorrect details and errors in the affidavit, making it non-maintainable under sections 142–144 of the Elections Act. The tribunal accepted this view and rejected the petition without proceeding to arguments.
Jhagra responded on social media, calling the decision “ironic” and highlighting the alleged tampering of official results. He announced plans to challenge the tribunal’s ruling in the Supreme Court, stating that his campaign to uphold democratic accountability would continue.
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The matter had also drawn attention from the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), which initiated an inquiry into polling station irregularities, but the Peshawar High Court later ruled that ACE lacked jurisdiction over acts conducted under the supervision of the Election Commission of Pakistan.