MORE than six months after one of our most blatantly rigged elections, we have barely inched forward on resolving election disputes. A recent Fafen report shows that 23 election tribunals have so far decided only 25 petitions, on average one each, with 16 rejected and nine abandoned by petitioners.

Balochistan tribunals alone have decided 14 of them. But tribunals in Islamabad and Punjab — the sites of the most serious rigging charges and handling nearly 50 per cent of the 377 national and provincial petitions against 36pc of all assembly seats — have decided only one case. They have been largely inoperative due to disputes between the executive, ECP and courts over their formation. Common sense and justice say that since the executive and ECP stand accused of rigging, high courts must decide this matter. Yet, the matters drag on in the SC and IHC strangely even after months.

Thus, the deadline for petitions’ disposal will be violated in most cases. Such delays are routine in Pakistan. However, delays this time are more iffy as in many cases, the rigging charges centre simply on the ECP having doctored the consolidation in Form 47 to change the Form 45 results issued by each polling station for a seat. Such a simple matter should........

© Dawn