ISLAMABAD: Only seven percent or 25 petitions of the total 377 petitions filed with 17 of 23 election tribunals (ETs) (six of them are inactive), related to February 8 general elections, have been disposed of, reveals an election report.
With six tribunals in Punjab still inactive, this slow pace of disposal of petitions may result in multiple petitions lingering beyond the legal deadline of 180 days to decide the petitions from the date of their filing, says a report issued by Free and Free Election Network (FAFEN).
It merits recalling here that on February 16, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) notified five ETs for Sindh and three ETS for Balochistan. On February 17, the ECP notified six ETs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and an ET for Islamabad. And on February 20, the electoral body notified two of the eight ETs in Punjab. As many as six out of eight ETs are currently inactive due to ongoing litigation in the Supreme Court.
FAFEN says it has identified the petitioners for 333 petitions through copies of the petitions and cause lists available on the high courts’ websites.
To date, the copies of only 226 petitions have been obtained, and 44 petitions could not be tracked through the cause lists, according to FAFEN.
The ECP has also not yet disclosed the exact number and ancillary details of the petitions filed before the ETs.
Of these 333 petitions, 188 were filed by those independent candidates who were backed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the general elections, and lost their respective polls, the report notes.
As many as 76 of these petitions are related to NA constituencies and 112 petitions are related to provincial constituencies; 72 petitions for Punjab Assembly, 25 petitions for Sindh Assembly, 13 petitions for KP Assembly and two petitions for Balochistan Assembly.
Out of 25 electoral petitions disposed of by the ETs, four petitions are related to NA and 21 petitions are related to provincial assemblies, the report states.
In Balochistan, ETs decided 14 petitions; one for NA and 13 for Balochistan Assembly. Sindh ETs decided six petitions; two for NA and four for Sindh Assembly. KP ETs decided four petitions; one for NA and three for KP Assembly. The only petition disposed of in Punjab is of a Punjab Assembly seat, the report mentions.
The Islamabad ET has not decided any petition. Currently, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restrained the only ET in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) from pursuing the trial of petitions pending before it.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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