Lahore: The Election Tribunal Lahore has rejected a petition filed against the election victory of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The petition was filed by PTI candidate Mehr Sharafat Ali, who challenged Maryam Nawaz’s victory from Lahore’s provincial constituency PP-159.

Election Tribunal Judge Rana Zahid Mahmood, while delivering a reserved verdict, declared that the petitioner did not fulfill the conditions of Rule 144 of the Election Act 2017, hence the petition was not admissible.

According to the verdict, the signatures were not present on every page of the petitioner’s election petition, while the name of the petitioner and father’s name were not mentioned on the page attested by the Oath Commissioner in the affidavit.

Barrister Asadullah Chatta, appearing for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, argued on legal points that the petition was inadmissible and basic legal requirements were not met.

The decision said that Barrister Asadullah Chatta’s arguments had weight, and that the petition could not be presented for a formal trial.

With the election tribunal’s decision, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s victory from PP-159 remained intact.