Election Tribunal dismisses PP-272 Muzaffargarh election challenge

The Election Tribunal Bahawalpur has dismissed an election petition challenging the results of Provincial Assembly constituency PP-272 Muzaffargarh declaring it non-maintainable.

According to details, following his defeat in the February 2024 general elections, candidate Makhdoom Syed Basit Sultan Bukhari filed an election petition before the Election Tribunal Bahawalpur alleging electoral fraud and irregularities in the constituency.

In a written judgment, retired Justice Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry rejected the petition ruling that the petitioner had failed to provide the necessary evidence and meet the legal requirements to support his claims.

According to the verdict, the petitioner did not provide specific details of the alleged corrupt practices or illegal activities in the election. He also failed to identify the polling stations where the alleged irregularities took place or the individuals who were purportedly involved in those unlawful acts.

The tribunal further observed that the affidavits submitted by two witnesses were of a general nature and had not been properly verified in accordance with the law rendering them unreliable as evidence.

The judgment also noted that the signatures of Makhdoom Syed Basit Sultan Bukhari on the election petition differed not only from signatures appearing on other pages of the petition but also from the signature on his National Identity Card.

The Election Tribunal concluded that the petition did not comply with the requirements of the Elections Act, 2017 and that the petitioner had failed to substantiate his allegations. Consequently, the election petition was declared non-maintainable and dismissed.

It is noteworthy that in the February 2024 general elections, Rana Abdul Mannan Sajid won the PP-272 Muzaffargarh seat as an independent candidate and later joined Pakistan Muslim League (N).