The Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan ordered re-polling at eight polling stations in the GBA-17 Diamer constituency on Friday [1].
The ruling follows legal challenges to the legitimacy of the initial vote counts. This decision underscores the judiciary's role in addressing irregularities within the regional electoral process to ensure the accuracy of representative results.
Chief Judge Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim presided over the proceedings [1]. The court acted after receiving election petitions that challenged the Form-47 results, which are the official documents used to record the consolidated results of polling stations [1]. The petitions raised specific concerns regarding irregularities that necessitated a fresh vote at eight [1] specific locations.
During the session, Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim also heard separate election petitions concerning the Form-47 results of GBA-15 Diamer and GBA-9 Skardu [1]. While these other constituencies are currently under judicial review, the court did not order re-polling for those areas at this time [1].
"The Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday ordered re-polling at eight polling stations in the GBA-17 Diamer constituency," Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim said [1].
The court's focus remains on the verification of Form-47 data to resolve disputes between candidates. The legal process in GBA-17 now moves toward the execution of these new polls to determine the final outcome of the constituency's representation [1].
“The Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday ordered re-polling at eight polling stations”
The order for re-polling at specific stations rather than an entire constituency suggests the court found localized irregularities rather than systemic failure. By focusing on Form-47 discrepancies, the judiciary is emphasizing documentary evidence over general allegations of fraud, which may set a precedent for how other pending petitions in GBA-15 and GBA-9 are handled.
