KARACHI: An election tribunal in Karachi declared null and void the election of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Sindh Assembly lawmaker who returned victorious in the 2013 general elections. The runner-up candidate had alleged that PTI member Syed Hafeezuddin had rigged the election.

Hafeezuddin had bagged 15,322 votes from the Karachi PS-93 (Banaras-Mominabad) constituency in the May 2013 polls, defeating Abdul Razzaque (11,800 votes) of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

Declaring Hafeezuddin's victory null and void, election tribunal judge Justice (retd) Zafar Ahmed Sherwani announced that the seat would instead go to the closest contender Razzaque, who had challenged Hafeezuddin's victory in last year's polls.

Razzaque had filed an appeal in the tribunal complaining of rigging by the PTI candidate.

“The election of the returned candidate is declared as void u/s 68(d) of the Act and the Petitioner is declared as the returned candidate,” said a notification from the Election Tribunal Karachi. “The Election Commission of Pakistan may be informed accordingly to issue such notification in the official gazette.”

As per law, Hafeezuddin now has the legal right to challenge the tribunal's decision before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.