Election Tribunal Dismisses Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s Petition Against Nawaz Sharif in NA-130

Lahore: The detailed verdict dismissing Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s election petition against Nawaz Sharif from NA-130 has been issued. The 24-page decision was delivered by Tribunal Judge Rana Zahid.

According to the ruling, under Section 144 of the Election Act, all legal requirements must be fulfilled when filing an election petition. Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s petition failed to meet the eligibility criteria outlined in Sections 139, 142, 143, and 144 of the Act. The tribunal emphasized that permission from the tribunal is mandatory to make any party a respondent under the Election Act.

The judgment stated that Dr. Yasmin Rashid did not file the petition within the prescribed time. Nawaz Sharif’s victory notification was issued on February 14, and despite the tribunal being constituted, the petition was not filed within the stipulated period. Moreover, the petition was filed with the Election Commission instead of the election tribunal.

The tribunal also noted that the petitioner did not obtain permission to make the Election Commission and the Returning Officer parties to the case, rendering this action illegal and unconstitutional. Consequently, the Election Commission, Returning Officer, and District Returning Officer were removed from the list of respondents.

The tribunal concluded that Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s petition challenging Nawaz Sharif’s victory is inadmissible. Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s lawyer claimed that an affidavit attached to the petition was accidentally lost, but stated that all evidence and receipts were submitted with the petition.

Nawaz Sharif’s legal team had objected to the admissibility of the petition, arguing that it did not meet the legal requirements and lacked proper signatures.

As a result, Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s petition against Nawaz Sharif in NA-130 has been officially dismissed.