Pakistan: Supreme Court suspends HC ruling for recount in Imran's constituency
Islamabad, Aug 8 (IBNS): The Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended the Lahore High Court's (LHC) order to re-tabulate results of NA-131 constituency and accepted PTI chief Imran Khan's petition against the ruling for hearing.
According to Geo News, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique had petitioned for a recount in the closely contested NA-131 Lahore-9 constituency, from where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan had emerged victorious.
He had alleged that the presiding officer deliberately rejected hundreds of votes.
Imran had defeated Rafique by 680 ballots.
The PML-N leader had then requested the constituency's returning officer (RO) to conduct a recount of the rejected votes. Following the re-tabulation, Imran's margin of victory had reduced to 608 votes.
Later, Rafique made a petition to re-tabulate results of the entire constituency which was rejected by the returning officer. The PML-N leader then challenged the decision in LHC's election tribunal.
On August 4, the LHC heard Rafique's petition and ordered a recount in the constituency and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to withhold Imran's victory notification for NA-131.
On Tuesday, the electoral body had notified all successful candidates but withheld those challenged in courts, including Imran's notification for the said constituency.
The PTI legal counsel Babar Awan then moved the apex court in this regard.
As the hearing went underway today, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said that NA-131's result had already been declared.
Rafique's legal counsel contended that a recount request is valid if the victory margin is less than five per cent.
However, the apex court suspended LHC's ruling for re-tabulation and accepted Imran's plea for hearing.
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