PHC restores election tribunals’ orders on thumb verification

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday restored the orders of the election tribunals regarding thumb verification of votes in the provincial and National Assembly constituencies with the observation that in the light of Supreme Court judgment it could not interfere in the election petitions pending before the tribunals.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Roohul Amin Khan disposed of all the writ petitions filed against the orders of the election tribunal in election petitions.
The bench also declared that all the stay orders passed against the orders of the election tribunal in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were vacated and the orders of the election tribunal restored. After vacation of stay orders, the election tribunal orders regarding verification of thumb impression of voters in PK-8 through Nadra was restored.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s losing candidate and former information minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai had challenged the victory of PML-N MPA Arbab Akbar Hayat, in which the election tribunal had ordered thumb verification of votes in the constituency and the petitioner had paid the money to Nadra for the purpose.
Similarly, the PTI’s losing candidate from NA-9 Mardan, Nasir Khan’s contempt of court petition against the election tribunal was also declared void. Nasir Khan’s had filed the contempt petition saying the high court directives were not complied with regarding verification of thumb impressions in NA-9.
Nasir Khan had filed the election petition against the victory of ANP MNA and former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti and sought thumb verification of votes.After the court order, stay order in the writ petition filed by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf was also vacated. He had challenged the election tribunal’s order in the PHC regarding votes’ verification.
The tribunal had passed an order of thumb verification of votes in election petition of PTI’s losing candidate Azam Khan Swati, which was restored.Similarly, the stay order in the election petition regarding verification of votes against the JI MNA from Lower Dir, Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqoob, was also vacated. The election tribunal order regarding verification of votes was restored.The election tribunal had passed an order regarding votes’ verification in the election petition of PTI’s losing candidate Bashir Khan.