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Business Recorder
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
ETs decide 35 pleas related to general elections 2024
ISLAMABAD: Between April 21 and July 31, 2025, the election tribunals decided 35 election petitions related to the General Elections 2024 (GE-2024). With these decisions, the total number of resolved petitions has reached 171, accounting for 46 percent of the overall caseload pending before 23 tribunals across the four provinces. Through its systematic tracking, Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has identified 374 election petitions — 124 challenging the electoral outcomes in the National Assembly (NA) constituencies and 250 in the Provincial Assemblies' (PA) constituencies. So far, approximately two-thirds (62 percent) of the petitions related to NA constituencies, and half (50 percent) of those pertaining to PA constituencies, remain undecided. During the reporting period, 28 of the 35 decided petitions were from Punjab, three each from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one from Balochistan. In Punjab, the four Lahore-based tribunals decided 15 petitions, the Bahawalpur tribunal decided nine, while the Rawalpindi and Multan tribunals decided two each. In Sindh, the two Karachi tribunals decided three petitions. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Bannu tribunal decided three cases. In Balochistan, a Quetta tribunal decided one petition. While Punjab tribunals have gained pace in deciding the petitions, adjudication process in the remaining three provinces has slowed noticeably since April 2025. As many as 12 out of the 23 election tribunals have not concluded any petitions since April 21, 2025. Overall, Balochistan's three tribunals have collectively decided 44 out of 52 petitions (85 percent) filed for NA and PA constituencies. Punjab's eight tribunals have resolved 94 out of 192 petitions (49 percent). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's six tribunals have decided 12 out of 43 petitions (28 percent), while Sindh's five tribunals have disposed of 21 out of 84 petitions (25 percent). Out of 124 petitions challenging NA constituency results, 47 (38 percent) have been decided thus far. These include 30 from Punjab, nine from Balochistan, five from Sindh, and three from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Regarding PA constituencies, 124 out of 250 petitions (50 percent) have been decided, including 64 from Punjab, 35 from Balochistan, 16 from Sindh, and nine from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Out of the 171 petitions decided so far, 168 have been dismissed, while only three have been accepted. FAFEN has yet to obtain copies of tribunal decisions for 40 dismissed petitions—11 related to NA constituencies and 29 to PA constituencies—so the reasons for dismissal in these cases remain unknown. The independent candidates supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) make the largest group of petitioners with 55 percent of total petitions filed by them, followed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates (13 percent), Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) candidates (eight percent), unaffiliated independent candidates (seven percent) and JamiatUlma-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P) candidates (seven percent). As many as 16 other parties' candidates cumulatively account for the remaining 12 percent of the total petitions. Around 65 percent petitions of independent candidates, 54 percent of PPPP, 54 percent of PML-N, 40 percent of JUI-F, and 38 percent of PTI-backed independent candidates have been disposed of till date. The returned candidates belonging to PML-N make the largest group of defendants with 39 percent of the petitions challenging their victory, followed by PTI-backed candidates (16 percent), MuttahidaQaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) candidates and PPPP candidates (13 percent each), unaffiliated independents (six percent) and JUI-P (five percent). As many as 11 other defendant parties' candidates cumulatively account for the remaining eight percent petitions. So far, 84 decisions of election tribunals have been contested before the Supreme Court. Among these, three appeals were initiated by the returned candidates against whom election petitions had been accepted. Of these, Supreme Court has so far dismissed 12 appeals upholding the tribunals' decisions. These dismissed appeals were filed by candidates belonging to PPPP (four), PTI-backed independents (three), NP (two), and BNP-A, JUI-P, and unaffiliated independent (one each). The remaining 71 appeals—21 pertaining to the National Assembly and 50 to the Provincial Assemblies—are currently under adjudication. These include 26 petitions challenging results in constituencies of Balochistan, 37 in Punjab, and eight in Sindh. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
FAFEN gives Sialkot by-poll all clear
During a by-election at Sialkot PP-52 constituency on Sunday, observers belonging to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) documented persistent instances of illegal campaigning near polling stations, isolated violations of voter identification, ballot processing, and counting procedures. In a three-page report issued on Tuesday, Fafen, however, noted that the general environment around polling stations remained largely peaceful on the polling day. PML-N's candidate Hina Arshad Warraich received the highest number of votes in the by-election held after the seat fell vacant because of the demise of her father Arshad Warraich. Both the PTI and the PPP had later accused the ruling party of using state machinery to win the polls. The report said the by-election was marked by a slight decrease in voter turnout and a reduction in the number of invalid votes compared to the 2024 General Elections amidst isolated procedural irregularities, including the disruption of the counting process by police officials at a polling station. Despite a decline in turnout – from 50% to 45% – the margin of victory increased significantly, from 8,535 votes in GE-2024 to 39,684 in the by-poll. The Provisional Consolidated Statement of the Results of Count (Form-47) was finalized at approximately 1:15 am, well within the legal deadline of 2:00 am. The report cited a particularly serious incident, in which a police contingent entered the premises of Polling Station No 169 when the count of ballots was underway. "They removed the party agents and observers present in the counting hall and took the election materials and polling staff away with them without waiting for the process to be completed. Fafen was unable to obtain a copy of the result of the count of the polling station for the by-election." The report noted that while voter turnout in the by-election was lower than in GE-2024, it was slightly higher than the turnout recorded in the recent NA-213 Umerkot by-election held in April 2025. Female voter turnout dropped from 47 percent in GE-2024 to 39 percent, while male turnout decreased from 53 percent to 50 percent in the by-election. "According to Form-47, the PML-N's vote share rose from 41 percent in GE-2024 to 59 percent in the by-election. The runner-up independent candidate, backed by PTI, saw his vote share decline from 35 percent to 29 percent." Fafen had deployed ten trained observers including seven men and three women, who observed voting and counting processes at 39 of the 185 polling stations established in the constituency. According to Fafen observers, around 79 percent of the observed polling stations had party's/candidate's camps in the close vicinity of polling stations while 85 percent polling stations had banners or flags of contesting candidates or parties displayed in their surroundings. The party camps around polling stations were also displaying campaign materials and distributing voter chits and food to visitors around 23 percent of the observed polling stations. Party-supported vehicles were seen providing transport to voters outside 46 percent of the observed polling stations. It said the polling officers were observed to be checking the National Identity Cards (NICs), marking the thumbs of the eligible voters with indelible ink, obtaining their thumb impressions on electoral rolls and striking off their names on the electoral rolls at almost all of the observed polling booths. "However, they were observed to be skipping to loudly call out the name of the voters so that the polling agents could know the identity of incoming voters and match it with their copy of electoral rolls at 49 percent of the observed polling booths," it added.
