PML-N lawmakers win ECP's approval for transfer of election cases

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday ordered to transfer the cases of three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers to other poll tribunals.

The poll organising authority approved three PML-N lawmakers’ plea for their cases to be transferred to other election tribunals in which their election victory was challenged by opponents with allegations of vote rigging.

In its verdict, the commission ordered transferring the case to other tribunals to hear the pending petitions against the PML-N lawmakers’ victory in three constituencies.

It is noteworthy to mention that three Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidates — Muhammad Ali Bokhari, Shoaib Shaheen and Aamir Mughal — had challenged the poll victory of the PML-N Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from Islamabad constituencies after the 2024 nationwide polls by levelling the poll manipulation allegations.

The ECP’s four-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja had reserved its verdict on the pleas filed by the ruling party’s lawmakers in the National Assembly including Anjum Aqeel Khan, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry and Khurram Shehzad Nawaz on June 7, Friday, which was announced today.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also suspended the lawmakers’ victory notifications while their petitions were being heard by election tribunals. The PML-N leaders expressed a lack of confidence in the tribunals and sought to transfer the cases to other tribunals.