ISLAMABAD-UNS: Between February 1 and April 20, 2025, the election tribunals decided 24 petitions related to General Elections (GE) 2024. This brings the total number of decided petitions to 136, which is 37 percent of the all the petitions being heard by the election tribunals across four provinces. FAFEN has been systematically tracking 372 petitions filed with 23 election tribunals after GE-2024. So far, 26 percent of challenges to results of National Assembly (NA) constituencies and 42 percent of Provincial Assemblies (PA) constituencies have been decided.
Out of the 24 petitions decided, 21 were from Punjab, two from Balochistan and one each Sindh. In Punjab, two tribunals in Lahore decided eight cases, one in Rawalpindi decided seven, and one in Bahawalpur decided six. The two tribunals in Quetta disposed one case each, while a tribunal of Karachi disposed only one case. No petitions from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were decided during this period.
Despite an increase in the number of petitions decided in Punjab as compared to previous months, the overall pace of decisions slowed down. This may be because four tribunals remained largely dysfunctional during the reporting period, including two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one in Punjab, and the sole tribunal of Islamabad Capital Territory.
To date, Balochistan’s three tribunals have collectively decided 43 (83 percent) of total 51 petitions filed for National and Provincial constituencies in the province. Punjab’s eight tribunals have decided 66 (34 percent) of 192 petitions. Sindh’s five tribunals have decided 18 (22 percent) of 83 petitions. KP’s six tribunals have decided nine (21 percent) of 42 petitions.
Out of 124 petitions challenging the results of National Assembly constituencies, 33 (26 percent) have been decided so far. Of these, 19 were from Punjab, eight from Balochistan, four from Sindh, and two from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Out of 248 petitions challenging the results of Provincial Assembly constituencies, 103 (42 percent) have been decided. These include 47 from Punjab, 35 from Balochistan, 14 from Sindh, and seven from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Out of the 136 petitions decided so far, 133 were dismissed and three were accepted. Among the 133 dismissals, 52 were dismissed on the grounds of non-maintainability including 10 related to National Assembly constituencies and 42 to Provincial Assemblies’ constituencies. Another 21 were dismissed because the allegations could not be proven during the trial. These 21 included two for National Assembly and 19 for Provincial Assemblies. Nine petitions were withdrawn including four for National Assembly and five for Provincial Assemblies. As many as 14 were dismissed due to non-prosecution including five related to National Assembly and nine to Provincial Assemblies. Moreover, three were dismissed for miscellaneous reasons, including the death or resignation of the returned candidate and non-compliance with court orders. FAFEN has yet to obtain copies of tribunal decisions for 34 dismissed petitions, so the reasons for dismissal in those cases remain unknown.
