ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued a stay order restraining the newly formed election tribunal, headed by retired Justice Shakoor Paracha, from proceeding with matters related to the NA-47 constituency in Islamabad.

Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq has also issued notices to all relevant parties and directed them to submit their replies in the next hearing.

The petition was filed by advocate Shoaib Shaheen, who contested the election result of NA-47, where PML-N candidate Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was declared the winner.

Shaheen raised concerns over the replacement of the previous election tribunal head, Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, with Justice Paracha by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The replacement reportedly occurred at the request of successful PML-N candidates.

During the hearing, the court took note of the procedural issues and temporarily halted the tribunal’s operations in NA-47. However, it clarified that the tribunal could continue proceedings for cases related to the other two Islamabad constituencies.

The now-suspended tribunal had set December 24 as the date for hearings on allegations of rigging in Islamabad’s three constituencies. With the court’s intervention, the fate of the NA-47 case remains uncertain until further notice.

On Dec 3, ECP replaced IHC Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri with Justice Paracha.

The decision has been taken on applications filed by three PML-N leaders from Islamabad who sought the transfer of election petitions against them to another tribunal.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024