SAHIWAL: Around 100 petitions have been filed by the losing candidates of Sahiwal division with an election tribunal (ET) regarding the local government election results.

Elections were held in the division on Dec 21, 2015. ETC Deputy Registrar Tayyab Bukhari told Dawn that of the petitions, 98 per cent were filed against the PML-N winning candidates. The ET received 39 applications each from Okara and Pakpattan and 22 from Sahiwal.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) appointed retired Justice Rana Zahid Mahmood as Sahiwal ET head who took charge on Dec 28, 2015.

Mr Bukhari said technically the ET had 120 days to settle the complaints but it the ECP would extend the tribunal date to another three months.

Justice Mahmood has already issued contempt of court notice to the ECP for officially announcing the result of union council 66, ward No 6, Okara. The ECP had declared PML-N’s Rao Muhammad Aslam winner even though the ETC had directed the ECP not to issue results on a plea by independent candidate Mubashir Nazir, Mr Bukhari said. Dawn learned from sources this is the only incident in Punjab where an ET issued a contempt notice to the ECP. In another plea by PPP candidate for Basirpur Municipal Corporation ward No 6 and 8, the ETC withheld official results.

Mr Bukhari said the ETE had right to disqualify a winning candidate, declare results null and void, order recounting of votes and announce a new election.

The ETC is likely to start working from Monday (Feb 8).

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2016