Ex-PTI lawmakers move PHC for election result forms

PESHAWAR: Former lawmakers belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday approached the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking the provision of the election result forms so that they could move the appellate tribunals.

Former provincial ministers, including Kamran Bangash and Taimur Salim Jhagra, and former deputy speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mehmood Jan filed the writ petitions through Ali Gohar Durrani Advocate.

The Election Commission of Pakistan, the district returning officer and the returning officers concerned were made parties in the petitions.

According to the petitions, the petitioners contested the February 8 general election as independent candidates from provincial assembly constituencies PK-72, PK-79 and PK-82. They contended that under Form-45, they were winning the election with a huge majority but later the results were allegedly changed.

It was stated in the petitions that when the petitioners went to the Election Commission of Pakistan, they were told to move the election tribunals as the electoral body could not hear their applications after the formation of the appellant tribunals.

The petitioners complained that they had not been provided him with certified forms 45, 46, 47, 48 and 49 though it was their constitutional right.

They pointed out that under Article 19A of the Constitution, every citizen of Pakistan could ask for relevant documents, but they were not being provided the same.

The losing candidates said that under the Election Act, it was the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan to upload the documents i.e. forms 45, 46, 47, 48 and 49 on its website within 14 days.