ISLAMABAD  -  The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has withdrawn the victory notification of Iste­hkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate’s Aun Chaudhary in the February 8 general elections.

The ECP’s Director General (DG) Law informed this to a single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Aamer Farooq during the hearing of PTI-backed independent candidate Barrister Salman Akram Raja’s petition challeng­ing the ECP’s notification to declare Auch Chaud­hary as returned candidate.

In the petition, Barrister Raja requested the court to declare Aun Chaudhry’s victory from the National Assembly constituency NA-128, La­hore, as null and void. He also called in ques­tion the notification dated 12.02.2024. The IHC Chief Justice observed in his written order that during the course of arguments it transpired that Form-49 was issued on 13.02.2024 whereas the notification of the Returned Candidate namely re­spondent No.3 had been issued on 12.02.2024.

When confronted; the Law Officer of the ECP con­ceded that an error has been committed on part of respondent No.1 and submitted that the noti­fication shall be withdrawn. He also submitted that the two applications under Sections 9 & 15 of the Elections Act, 2017 are pending before the ECP. 

He also categorically submitted that the referred applications shall be decided in accordance with law. The court order said that counsel for the peti­tioner feels satisfied with the submissions/state­ments by the learned Law Officer.

It added, “The instant petition is disposed of in light of the above submissions.”