Staff Reporter
The Lahore High Court on Thursday decided on two different petitions for recount of votes of the recently held cantonment boards election. The court granted a petition from one of the PTI candidates but rejected a similar plea made by a retired Major.
Both candidates ran for Walton cantonment board seats though from different wards.
The elections for 42 cantonment boards were held on Sunday, September 12 across several cities.
In the first petition, Maj (r) Javed Zameer had pleaded that he lost by mere 12 votes from the ward-5 and the number of rejected votes exceeded the victory margin. The candidate petitioned the court that a recount be ordered and results withheld.
Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza rejected the petition, saying that the results had been announced and that the petitioner must seek remedy from the relevant forum.
In another petition, PTI’s Aslam Jatt ran for the ward-4 in Walton cantonment board. He petitioned the court for a recount and his request was granted. The court has withheld the result until the recount.
Jatt lost the election by 21 votes while the number of rejected votes stood at 68, his lawyer Waqat Toor told the court, adding that the number of rejected votes exceeded the victory margin.
It is to be recalled that when results were declared on Sunday evening Maj (r) Javed Zameer signed the Form-45 before the Returning Officer (RO).
Once a candidate or his/her polling agent signs the Form-45, they effectively declare their acceptance of the results. It leaves little room for challenging the results.
Justice Jawad Hassan reject the petition because Major Javed Zameer (retired) had signed Form-45.
On the other hand, PTI’s Aslam Jatt had not signed the Form-45. Hence, his petition was granted.
