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Poll tribunal unseats another PML-N MP

Islamabad - This was the third of the four seats on which PTI chairman Imran Khan had initially sought audit to prove his point that the 2013 polls were manipulated.

An election tribunal on Wednesday upheld petition of senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) leader Jehangir Tareen against election of his opponent Siddiq Baloch of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and ordered re-election for National Assembly seat NA-154 Lodhran.
This was the third of the four seats on which PTI chairman Imran Khan had initially sought audit to prove his point that the 2013 polls were manipulated.
Tareen's victory comes on the heel of ruling by a Punjab election tribunal last Saturday that irregularities were committed in NA-122 Lahore constituency. Earlier in a similar judgment a tribunal had annulled election of federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq from another Lahore constituency NA-125.
Prior to the verdict, Khan had confidently hoped that he would be able to claim PML-N's third wicket as well. Media channels projected the verdict with headlines: 'Imran Khan claims hat trick'.
Siddiq Baloch originally contested election as an independent candidate but joined the PML-N soon after his election whose official candidate had secured third position.
Commenting on his victory, Jehangir Tareen said this consecutive ruling on third of the four seats whose audit Imran had demanded puts a question mark on the entire 2013 election.
Baloch has the option to file a review petition in the Supreme Court as was done by Saad Rafiq and former speaker Ayaz Sadiq is planning.
The Supreme Court on June 6, 2014, had vacated the LHC stay order and directed the tribunal to hold proceedings on a daily basis for the verification of thumb impressions.
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