An election tribunal has dismissed a petition challenging the victory of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz from PP-159, Lahore, it emerged on Monday.

PTI-backed independent candidate Mehar Sharafat had filed the petition, claiming that he initially emerged victorious in the constituency based on the Form 45 results. The tribunal was presided over by retired justice Rana Zahid Mahmood.

He alleged that the results were later manipulated using Form 47 to declare Maryam the victor. He had asked the tribunal to set aside Maryam’s victory notification and declare him a returned candidate. Maryam had secured 23,598 and Sharafat obtained 21,491 votes in the Feb 8 general election.

An order of the election tribunal dated October 21 emerged today, which said that the counsel for the petitioner advanced “very short arguments … and it is important to mention that his arguments are general in nature with regard to allegations of corruption and corrupt practices during the election process in the constituency concerned, however, has not addressed any substantial legal arguments to explain the deficiencies in the verification process together with attestation”.

The order also highlighted various other procedural errors and flaws in the petition submitted by the PTI-backed candidate.

Responding to the development, Sharafat issued a challenge to the chief minister, saying that he would not only pay a fine of Rs20 million but also issue a public apology and leave politics forever if she publicly proved her victory and his defeat.

The Commonwealth Observer Group concluded last month that critical decisions by key institutions “impinged on the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness” of Pakistan’s 2024 general elections and created an ‘unlevel playing field’ that consistently limited one political party.

In its long-delayed election observation report, the group noted that the PTI was primarily affected by these actions.

The findings were released in the group’s final report, made public nearly 11 months after its submission on Nov 20, 2024. The report serves as a detailed charge sheet on the electoral process, from the pre-election environment to post-election legal changes.