SC sets aside Saad Rafique de-seating order

LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday allowed a petition of former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafique and set aside a 2015 order which de-seated him and directed for re-poll in his constituency NA-125, Lahore (now NA-131) by an election tribunal.

Through a short order, announced at the Lahore registry, a two-judge bench comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, allowed the petition of the PML-N’s leader filed back in 2015. The court had reserved the verdict on March 19.

Runner-up candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Hamid Khan had challenged the victory of Kh Saad Rafique in 2013 general polls before the election tribunal on the charges of massive rigging by the PML-N.

The tribunal had, in 2015, declared the result of the election null and void with a direction to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold a fresh poll in the constituency within 60 days. However, Saad challenged the decision before the Supreme Court and got it suspended.

As per the new delimitation by the ECP for 2018 general election, the constituency NA-125 is now NA-131 from where PTI chairman Imran Khan is contesting the polls against Saad Rafique.