The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday while accepting a petition filed by Salman Akram Raja, challenging his exclusion from the Form 47 compilation process, temporarily restrained the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from issuing the notification for the success of NA-128.
LHC Chief Justice Justice Ali Baqir Najafi presided over the hearing, where Raja’s legal team argued that he was not present during the compilation of Form 47, a crucial document summarizing polling station results.
According to election rules, candidates have the right to witness this process to ensure transparency and prevent irregularities.
Raja’s lawyers highlighted that only results from 13 polling stations were compiled in their presence, raising concerns about potential discrepancies in the remaining stations.
While the government lawyer argued that any complaints should be addressed to the ECP, the court deemed the petition worthy of further investigation.
As a result, the LHC issued notices to both parties and scheduled a hearing for February 12. Additionally, the court ordered a temporary halt on the official notification of Raja's victory in NA-128, leaving the final outcome hanging in the balance.
