ISLAMABAD: Between February 1 and April 20, 2025, the election tribunals decided 24 petitions related to the General Elections (GE) 2024.
This brings the total number of decided petitions to 136, which is 37 percent of all the petitions being heard by the election tribunals across four provinces.
The FAFEN has been systematically tracking 372 petitions filed with 23 election tribunals after GE-2024. So far, 26 percent of challenges to the results of National Assembly (NA) constituencies and 42 percent of provincial constituencies have been decided.
Out of the 24 petitions decided, 21 were from Punjab, two from Balochistan, and one from Sindh. According to FAFEN update on election tribunals, in Punjab, two tribunals in Lahore decided eight cases, one in Rawalpindi decided seven, and one in Bahawalpur decided six.
The two tribunals in Quetta disposed of one case each, while a tribunal in Karachi disposed of only one case. No petitions from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were decided during this period.
Despite an increase in the number of petitions decided in Punjab as compared to previous months, the overall pace of decisions slowed down. This may be because four tribunals remained largely dysfunctional during the reporting period, including two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one in Punjab, and the sole tribunal of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
To date, Balochistan’s three tribunals have collectively decided 43 (83 percent) of the total 51 petitions filed for National and Provincial constituencies in the province.
Punjab’s eight tribunals have decided 66 (34 percent) of 192 petitions.
Sindh’s five tribunals have decided 18 (22 percent) of 83 petitions.
KP’s six tribunals have decided nine (21 percent) of 42 petitions.
Out of 124 petitions challenging the results of National Assembly constituencies, 33 (26 percent) have been decided so far. Of these, 19 were from Punjab, eight from Balochistan, four from Sindh, and two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Out of 248 petitions challenging the results of Provincial Assembly constituencies, 103 (42 percent) have been decided. These include 47 from Punjab, 35 from Balochistan, 14 from Sindh, and seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Out of the 136 petitions decided so far, 133 were dismissed and three were accepted. Among the 133 dismissals, 52 were dismissed on the grounds of non-maintainability, including 10 related to National Assembly constituencies and 42 to provincial assemblies’ constituencies.
Another 21 were dismissed because the allegations could not be proven during the trial. These 21 included two for the National Assembly and 19 for the provincial assemblies.
Nine petitions were withdrawn, including four for the National Assembly and five for the provincial assemblies. As many as 14 were dismissed due to non-prosecution, including five related to the National Assembly and nine to provincial assemblies.
Moreover, three were dismissed for miscellaneous reasons, including the death or resignation of the returned candidate and non-compliance with court orders.
The FAFEN has yet to obtain copies of tribunal decisions for 34 dismissed petitions, so the reasons for dismissal in those cases remain unknown.
The three accepted petitions were related to constituencies of the Balochistan Assembly, including PB-44 Quetta-VII, PB-45 Quetta-VIII, and PB-36 Kalat.
The tribunals ordered re-polling at 16 polling stations of PB-44, 15 polling stations of PB-45, and seven polling stations of PB-36.
Re-polling in PB-45 was held on January 5, 2025, returning the previous winner of PPPP to the seat. Re-polling in the other two constituencies did not take place. The order for re-poll was earlier stayed by the Balochistan High Court, and later was reversed in an appeal before the Supreme Court, while the Election Commission has postponed re-polling in PB-36 twice due to the prevailing law and order situation.
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 (PMLN) candidates (13 percent), Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) candidates (eight percent), unaffiliated independent candidates (seven percent) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP) candidates (six percent).
As many as 16 other parties’ candidates cumulatively account for the remaining 11 percent of the petitions. Around 56 percent petitions of independent candidates, 50 percent of PPPP candidates, 42 percent each of PMLN and JUIF candidates, and 58 percent of those by other parties have been decided so far.
The returned candidates belonging to PMLN make the largest group of defendants with 39 percent of the petitions challenging their victory, followed by PTI-backed candidates (16 percent), Muttahida Quami Movement Pakistan (MQMP) candidates and PPPP candidates (13 percent each), unaffiliated independents (six percent), and JUIP (five percent).
As many as 11 other defendant parties’ candidates cumulatively account for the remaining eight percent petitions. Around 58 percent petitions filed against unaffiliated independents, 45 percent against PTI-backed independents, 39 percent against JUIP candidates, 36 percent each against PMLN and PPPP candidates, 27 percent against MQM candidates, and 21 percent against other parties’ candidates have been decided so far.
Under Section 155(1) of the Elections Act, 2017, any individual aggrieved by the final decision of an election tribunal regarding an election petition challenging an assembly election may file an appeal before the Supreme Court of Pakistan within 30 days of the decision.
As of this report, 54 decisions of election tribunals have been contested before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Among these, three appeals were initiated by returned candidates against whom election petitions were accepted.
Out of these appeals, the appeal by PPPP’s returned candidate in PB-44 Quetta-VII was allowed by the Supreme Court, setting aside the election tribunal’s ruling that had accepted the petition by the National Party candidate.
Another appeal, lodged by PPPP’s returned candidate in PB-45 Quetta-VIII, was dismissed by the apex court while upholding the decision of the election tribunal. The third appeal, filed by BAP’s returned candidate in PB-36 Kalat, remains pending adjudication.
Additionally, 51 appeals have been filed against the rejection of election petitions by respective election tribunals. Among these, four have been heard and dismissed by the Supreme Court. The remaining 47 appeals are still under adjudication.
Of the 51 petitions filed against the dismissal of election petitions, 11 were lodged by losing candidates of National Assembly (NA) elections.
Similarly, 40 were submitted by losing candidates of Provincial Assembly (PA) elections, including 24 from Balochistan, 12 from Punjab, and four from Sindh. Among the 51 appeals filed against the rejection of election petitions, 22 have been filed by PT-backed independent candidates, six by PPPP candidates, five by the PMLN candidates, four by JUIP candidates, three by independent candidates, and two each by the National Party (NP), Awami National Party (ANP), and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) candidates.
Similarly, one each was filed by candidates from Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Balochistan National Party Awami (BNPA), Khadameen-e-Sindh (KS), and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidates.
In terms of the respondents, 25 appeals are filed against the winners of the PMLN, six against PPPP, five against independent candidates backed by the PTI, four each against the MQMP, JUIF, and unaffiliated independent candidates, two against the NP, and one against the winner of the BAP.