PHC sets aside election tribunal’s decision against MNA

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday set aside the Election Tribunal verdict regarding disqualification of Qaiser Jamal Afridi as Member National Asembly from NA-47 and declared the election as valid.

A division bench comprising of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Irshad Qaiser announced the verdict.

The court had reserved its judgment on Qaiser Jamal Afridi’s appeal in which he had challenged the Election Tribunal decision that disqualified him on May 5, 2014 after Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) candidate Kamil Khan Shirani claimed the former won the election on the basis of erroneous ballot papers. Shirani said his party’s election symbol was not printed on the ballot papers.

The Election Tribunal directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold re-election in the constituency. Lawyer Qazi Anwar had argued the case for the appellant Qaiser Jamal Afridi and submitted that the Election Tribunal’s decision was unlawful and would be set aside.

Shirani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan argued that his client was nominated by the PkMAP as the party candidate from NA-47.”When the polling started, the candidate and his voters learnt that the election symbol allotted to him (Shirani) was not printed on the ballot papers,” he said.

He argued that the election symbol was the most important aspect in the polls as literacy rate was low in tribal areas and it was the main basis on which people cast their ballots.