The Supreme Court on Monday overturned Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict declaring a recount of votes in three National Assembly constituencies null where Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates had won.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, delivered the reserved verdict by a majority of 2-1 on the pleas filed by the PML-N leaders.
Justice Aqeel Abbasi of the top court dissented with the decision in favour of PML-N candidates Azhar Qayyum Nahra, Abdul Rehman Kanju and Zulfikar Ahmed.
The development comes after the three leaders, who had lost from their respective constituencies, had requested for the recounting of votes after which the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) declared them winners.
However, the election body’s decision was challenged by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the LHC which, in April, overturned the election outcome.
The PML-N candidates then approached the SC against the verdict given by the LHC. Following this, the three-member bench reinstated them as NA members and declared LHC’s decision null and void.
