BAHAWALPUR: A division bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) at Bahawalpur Bench suspended the decision of single bench against Lodhran MNA Abdul Rehman Kanju.

According to lawyers, after suspension of single bench decision, the double bench referred the petition to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and issued notice to respondent PTI’s Rana Fraz Noon.

In the Feb 8 election, Rana Fraz Noon was declared elected. PML-N’s defeated candidate Abdul Rehman applied to ECP for a recount.

Rana Fraz Noon managed to get a stay order against the recount but the RO on March 5 after recount declared Kanju as victorious by 7,301 votes.

Rana Fraz Noon on March 6 moved a contempt of court case against RO in the LHC Bahawalpur bench. On March 16, the LHC single bench ordered to stay the recount which was challenged before double bench by Abdul Rehman Kanju.

The double bench accepted Kanju’s appeal and declared null and void the single bench’s decision till the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024