Earlier today, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a notification of annulment of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique’s membership from the National Assembly (NA).
Rafique had been appointed MNA after winning the 2013 general elections from Lahore’s NA-125 constituency.
An election tribunal annulled results of the NA-125 election and ordered a re-poll on the seat won by Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique on Monday.
Javed Rasheed Mehboobi, member of the Faisalabad election tribunal, allowed the petition of the runner-up candidate, Hamid Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), and asked the ECP to hold a fresh election in the constituency within 60 days.
In the NA-125 election, Saad Rafique had secured 123,416 votes while his opponent Hamid Khan bagged 84,495 votes.
In its short order, the tribunal said grave irregularities were found in the record of seven polling stations of NA-125 inspected by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
It noted that the election staff (returning officer and presiding officers) had not discharged their duties proficiently. The RO had compiled the results on the basis of unverified information, it added.
Rafique deflected all charges against him on Monday saying the tribunal’s decision to order re-election in NA-125 constituency was against the presiding and residing officers of the constituency, and that runner-up PTI candidate Hamid Khan had “failed” to prove rigging.’
