Election tribunal unseats Pakistan minister over rigging charges
(MENAFN- Arab News) LAHORE: A Pakistani election tribunal on Monday unseated the country's railways minister and ordered a fresh poll in his constituency over alleged irregularities in the 2013 general election.
Khawaja Saad Rafique won the NA-125 seat in the eastern city of Lahore with a majority of nearly 40000 as the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) swept to a landslide victory in May 2013.
But the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party led by former cricket star Imran Khan has claimed widespread fraud tainted the poll which made Nawaz Sharif prime minister for a third time.
Rafique's PTI rival Hamid Khan who came second in NA-125 filed a petition against the election result which was accepted on Monday by an election tribunal headed by Judge Javaid Rashid Mehboobi.
The brief ruling said the election should be re-run but did not give details of the judge's reasoning.
A defiant Rafique criticized the decision telling reporters he was being 'punished for the mistakes of returning officers.'
Khawaja Saad Rafique won the NA-125 seat in the eastern city of Lahore with a majority of nearly 40000 as the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) swept to a landslide victory in May 2013.
But the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party led by former cricket star Imran Khan has claimed widespread fraud tainted the poll which made Nawaz Sharif prime minister for a third time.
Rafique's PTI rival Hamid Khan who came second in NA-125 filed a petition against the election result which was accepted on Monday by an election tribunal headed by Judge Javaid Rashid Mehboobi.
The brief ruling said the election should be re-run but did not give details of the judge's reasoning.
A defiant Rafique criticized the decision telling reporters he was being 'punished for the mistakes of returning officers.'
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Comments
No comment