Daily Times

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday, challenging election of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Sibtain Khan as the Punjab Assembly speaker.

PML-N’s Saif-ul-Malook Khokhar and another MPA filed the petition through Advocate Usman Mansoor, wherein newly-elected speaker and others have been made the respondents.

The petitioners submitted that the legal requirements were not fulfilled during the election process. They submitted that as per rules, it was mandatory to hold the election of the speaker through secret ballot, and it was a violation of law and Constitution to put serial number on ballot papers.

The petitioners submitted that the balloting had not been secret in the Friday’s election of the speaker as the ballot papers and counterfoils were serial-numbered. They submitted that the choice exercised by the MPAs could be traced by comparing the serial number on the ballot paper and the serial number on counterfoils. “As a result, the secrecy of the ballot could easily be breached,” they added. They pleaded with the court to declare the election as illegal and order re-polling for the slot.

A private TV channel reported that the petition was filed in the Lahore High Court through Mansoor Usman Awan. It states that “legal requirements were not fulfilled” during the elections. Later the petition was fixed for hearing and it was noted that a two-member bench will hear the case on Monday (August 1).

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that PML-Q and PTI had rigged election of Speaker Punjab Assembly as secrecy and sanctity of the vote was violated during the voting process.

Talking to the media, he demanded the Lahore High Court to declare the election of PA speaker void, alleging that law and the constitution was violated. Tarar said the election of speaker had to be held through secret ballot as per the law but unfortunately, it was not followed. It was disclosed during the voting that ballot papers were issued with same serial numbers printed on ballot papers and counterfoil to identify the voter which was violation of rules, he mentioned.

He said the PML-N had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court in this regard and demanded that the court being the custodian of the constitution and human rights, should declare the election null and void. He criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership for electing Ch Pervaiz Elahi as their chief minister.

He said the PML-N would remain committed for across the board accountability. On the occasion, Rana Mashhood said that rigging was committed first time in the parliamentary history by violating rules openly and demanded that entire elections process should be declared as illegal.