KARACHI: An election tribunal on Saturday declared Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Syed Ghous Ali Shah successful in the NA-215 constituency in Khairpur, overturning the election of PPP candidate Nawab Ali Wassan.
The tribunal had ordered a vote recount on the Khairpur constituency after the former Sindh chief minister and senior PML-N leader moved the tribunal claiming that “unprecedented massive rigging had been committed in the last elections in the constituency”.
Last year, Ghous Ali Shah had challenged the election on both the National Assembly seat as well as the provincial assembly seat in the constituency.
The PS-29 seat was won by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, while the NA-215 seat was won by Nawab Ali Wassan, is a relative of former Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Hussain Wassan.
Both PPP candidates had denied the allegations of electoral irregularities and rigging.
Ghous Ali Shah had sought verification of thumb impressions on the ballots, claiming that several irregularities were committed by returned candidates in the polls.
Announcing the ruling on the election petition today, former Sindh High Court Judge Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani declared Syed Ghous Ali Shah as the winner.
The tribunal in its judgment said that there was substantial evidence that led to the conclusion that the returned candidate has committed corrupt practices during the May 2013 election.
The tribunal declared the election of returned candidate Wassan as void under Section 68(d) of the Representation of Peoples Act 1976, and declared the petitioner being the runner up as the elected winner.