The Supreme Court, a beacon of justice, is poised to deliver its momentous judgment on the recount of votes in three National Assembly (NA) constituencies tomorrow, as reported by media News. This decision, following appeals heard by a three-member bench led by the esteemed Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa, carries immense weight in the electoral landscape. The constituencies under scrutiny are NA-154 Lodhran, NA-81 Gujranwala, and NA-79 Gujranwala.
The case originated from a challenge by Azhar Qayum Nahra of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to suspend his victory notification from NA-81. Initially, PTI-backed independent candidate Chaudhry Bilal was declared the winner by a margin of 7,791 votes in the general elections in 2024. However, after a recount requested by Nahra, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared Nahra as the returned candidate, with a margin of 3,100 votes. Notably, during the recount, approximately 10,000 of Nahra’s votes were cancelled.
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In response, Bilal contested the ECP’s decision in the Lahore High Court, which, on April 4, set aside the notification of Azhar Qayum Nahra’s victory from NA-81. Additionally, the court ruled that the election commission could not entertain complaints against election disputes once election tribunals began their work. Now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court, the ultimate arbiter of justice, whose forthcoming verdict is eagerly anticipated to bring an end to this contentious electoral dispute.
