SC rejects PTI candidates’ review petition against Kh Asif

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday maintained victory of Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif in NA-110 by disposing of the review plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Usman Dar.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, heard the plea filed against the victory of Khawaja Asif in NA-110. During the hearing, the CJP said that the election could not be annulled by presenting only 10 witnesses. He said that it might be possible that these witnesses would be his supporters.

The CJP said that there was no value of witnesses without holding arguments and that Usman Dar didn’t appear in court for justification despite several summons. Earlier on November 11, 2016, the SC had dismissed PTI’s petition challenging the verdict of Election Tribunal regarding the victory of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Khawaja Asif’s in the NA-110 constituency, Sialkot.

Khawaja Asif’s counsel Farooq H Naek said that the petitioner failed to provide any evidence to the Election Tribunal to prove rigging in the constituency. In 2013 general election, Asif won the NA-110 seat with 92,803 votes whereas Usman Dar managed to take 71,525 votes. On July 23, 2015, a three-member inquiry commission probing the alleged rigging in the 2013 elections rejected the allegations and said that the polls were conducted fairly and according to the law.