ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued victory notifications of a dozen members of the National Assembly including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and three other members of his family.

As per the ECP’s notification the former prime minister has been declared a returned candidate from NA-130 (Lahore), his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif from NA-123 (Lahore), daughter Mar­yam Nawaz from NA-119 (Lahore) and nephew Hamza Shehbaz Sharif from NA-118 (Lahore).

The piecemeal issuance of notifications for publication in the official gazette in deviation of the tradition made many to wonder if those declared successful have submitted details of the election expenses with the Commission.

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Similarly, PML-N’s Attaullah Tarar was declared successful from NA-127, Lahore.

Under Section 98 of the Elections Act, 2017, after receiving final result from the returning officer, the commission, within 14 days from the polling day, shall publish the name of the winning candidate in the official gazette.

The law, however, says “every returned candidate shall, within ten days from the poll of an election, submit a return of election expenses under section 134 and the Commission shall not notify in the official Gazette the result of a returned candidate who fails to submit his return of election expenses”.

The commission has also declared PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar a winner from NA-127 (Lahore) and Muhammad Awn Chaudhry of IPP from NA-128 (Lahore).

Others whose victory notifications as members of the National Assembly have been issued include Nasir Iqbal Bosal from NA-69 (Mandi Baha­uddin), Chaudhry Armag­han Subhani from NA-70 (Sialkot), Khawaja Asif from NA-71 (Sialkot), Ali Zahid from NA-72 (Sialkot) and Nousheen Iftikhar from NA-73 (Lahore). All five belong to PML-N.

ECP has also notified the victory of PML-N provincial president from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Ameer Muqam, from NA-11 (Shangla).

The commission has also issued notifications of some winners of provincial assembly seats from KP and Balochistan. ECP has also issued a notification for polling at six polling stations of NA-43, Tank-cum-D.I. Khan on February 17.

The commission said that polling at these stations could not be held on February 8, owing to bad law and order situation.

In this connection, necessary instructions have been issued to the chief secretary and KP IGP and the law-enforcement agencies, it said.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2024