ISLAMABAD (National Times) Between October 10 and November 15, 2024, Election Tribunals across Pakistan decided another 20 petitions, bringing the total of decided petitions to 60, or 17 percent of the 350 election results disputes systematically tracked by FAFEN. However, seven of the 23 tribunals have yet to decide on any petitions.
FAFEN has identified and tracked 350 out of 377 petitions filed with the 23 tribunals. While there is marginal improvement in the pace of petition disposal over the past one month, tribunals in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) continue to lag varyingly behind those in Balochistan. The three tribunals in Balochistan have disposed of 30 out of 51 results disputes (60 percent). In contrast, the six KP tribunals have decided only eight out of 42 petitions (19 percent), while the five Sindh tribunals have disposed of a mere 12 out of 83 petitions (14 percent). Punjab tribunals, which faced delays in their establishment due to interpretational differences between the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), have resolved only 10 out of 155 petitions (six percent).
Despite the notification of their establishment, four out of eight tribunals in Punjab, comprising retired judges, have yet to commence hearings. Similarly, three pending petitions in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) tribunal await ECP decisions on transfer applications filed by the defendants.
The majority of petitions decided thus far concern disputes over provincial assembly constituencies. Of the 51 disputes decided on provincial seats, 29 relate to the Balochistan Assembly, nine to the Sindh Assembly, seven to the Punjab Assembly and six to the KP Assembly. In comparison, only nine petitions on National Assembly (NA) constituencies have been decided, with three each in Punjab and Sindh, two in KP and one in Balochistan. Overall, 21 percent of 239 petitions on provincial constituencies have been decided so far. On the other hand, only nine percent of 111 petitions on NA constituencies have been decided.