More than two years have passed since the controversial general elections of February 8, 2024, yet candidates backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have failed to secure a single victory in election tribunals despite filing the majority of petitions alleging manipulation of Form 47 results.
According to data from the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), 246 out of 374 election petitions have been decided so far—nearly two-thirds of the total—and, notably, 242 of them have been dismissed.
PTI-backed independent candidates filed around 55 percent of all petitions (86 concerning National Assembly seats and 120 concerning Provincial Assembly seats), repeatedly arguing that the provisional consolidated results in Form 47 had been unlawfully altered from the polling station results recorded in Form 45.
However, according to FAFEN, not a single one of these claims has succeeded in the cases that have been decided. Tribunals largely dismissed PTI-linked petitions on procedural grounds or due to a lack of evidence.
FAFEN’s Mudassir Rizvi said that 123 of the dismissed petitions were rejected as non-maintainable, including 44 related to National Assembly constituencies and 79 concerning Provincial Assembly constituencies. Another 26 petitions were dismissed because the allegations could not be proven during the proceedings. In addition, 12 petitions were withdrawn, 16 were dismissed for non-prosecution, and two were rejected for other reasons, such as the death or resignation of the returned candidate.
He said the pace of decisions has been slow, despite the law requiring such cases to be decided within 180 days. However, he clarified that the election commission has no authority to enforce this deadline. So far, 246 petitions have been decided, with 242 dismissed, while appeals against 123 of those decisions have been filed in the Supreme Court.
FAFEN has not yet obtained copies of decisions in 63 dismissed petitions, including 16 related to National Assembly seats and 47 concerning Provincial Assembly seats, making it impossible to determine the reasons for their dismissal.
Of the 246 decided cases, only four petitions were accepted, all related to constituencies in Balochistan. These petitions were filed by candidates of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) (JUI-F) or the National Party, not by PTI. In contrast, the large number of petitions filed by PTI, mostly against successful candidates of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), were dismissed.
Most of the 242 dismissed petitions directly weaken PTI’s narrative of systematic rigging through Form 47. Other cases were either withdrawn (12), dismissed for non-prosecution (16), or disposed of for various other reasons.
PTI has maintained that the elections were “stolen” through irregularities in the Result Management System and alterations to Form 47. However, in cases that underwent full hearings, tribunals found these allegations to be unproven.
According to Mudassir Rizvi, the data shows that most petitions were dismissed because of procedural flaws or lack of evidence, rather than any proven electoral fraud.
PTI and other parties challenged 123 tribunal decisions in the Supreme Court. Of those appeals, only 18 have been decided so far, with three partially or fully accepted and 15 dismissed. A total of 105 appeals remain pending.
While the party continues to pursue legal remedies, the tribunal record has proven to be a significant setback to PTI’s post-election strategy.
According to FAFEN’s data, despite PTI’s vigorous campaign around the alleged “theft of mandate” and the Form 47 controversy, the party has largely failed to substantiate its allegations of election rigging in court proceedings.
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