LAHORE: In a massive upset for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), an election tribunal has disqualified National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and ordered re-polling in the NA-122 constituency. The verdict over NA-122 was to be announced at 10am but got delayed to 07pm. The detailed verdict, comprising around 200 pages, called the NA-122 election null and void. Both party workers had gathered outside the Punjab Election Commission. The situation almost escalated, with the party workers coming face-to-face and shouting slogans against each other. Kaptaan had filed a petition challenging Ayaz’s victory in the 2013 elections. The PTI chairman had claimed of widespread rigging. In 2013 polls, PML-N candidate Ayaz Sadiq had ‘defeated’ PTI Chairman Imran Khan. Ayaz had secured 93,389 votes while Kaptaan bagged 84,517 votes. The PTI had challenged Sadiq’s victory by alleging him of massive rigging and filing a petition to challenge the result. When proceedings for the case began in July 2013, the NA speaker obtained a stay order. When the stay order expired in November 2014, a commission was formed, headed by Justice Ghulam Hussain Awan. The commission ordered NADRA to recount and verify votes. The former speaker said he did not agree with the judgement, which had declared the election void due to “failures of the election machinery”. To a question, he said, “I am no more an MNA, how can I be the assembly’s speaker anymore?” Imran Khan’s counsel, Anis Ali said the “election tribunal had deseated Ayaz Sadiq” as member of the National Assembly, adding that he was “no more the speaker of the house”. As per the commission’s report, 23,595 counter foils were not signed and stamped. 108,115 votes were declared as correct, 3,642 votes could not be verified whereas 2,693 votes did not contain the signatures of the staff. The presiding officer did not stamp 750 votes. Later, the former National Assembly (NA) speaker said that he would go into appeal against the verdict.Talking to reporters, he said, “We respect verdict of the tribunal but have reservations about the basis on which the election has been declared null and void.”