Khurram Shehzad Nawaz Explained

Raja Khurram Shehzad Nawaz is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since February 2024 and previously served in this role from August 2018 till January 2023. In May 2024, a PATTAN-Coalition38 audit revealed manipulation in Khurram's election results, against his rival, Syed Mohammad Ali Bukhari.

Political career

He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Constituency NA-52 (Islamabad-I) in 2018 Pakistani general election.^[1] He received 64,690 votes and defeated Haji Afzal Khokhar, a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party.^[2]

He was re-elected to the National Assembly as an independent candidate from Constituency NA-48 Islamabad-III in 2024 Pakistani general election.^{[3] [4]} He received 69,606 votes and defeated Syed Muhammad Ali Bukhari, a PTI-backed independent candidate who secured 59,851 votes.^[5] PTI alleged that rigging occurred in the constituency, leading the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to suspend Khurram's victory notification.^{[6] [7]} He joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) after his election.^[8]

2024 election audit results

In May 2024, a detailed audit by PATTAN-Coalition38 revealed that he received fewer votes in the 2024 elections compared to his rival PTI-backed independent candidate, Syed Mohammad Ali Bukhari, who received more votes. According to the audit, Syed Mohammad Ali Bukhari received 70,318 votes, while Shahzad received only 26,874 votes. According to the audit, there was a discrepancy between the original Forms 45 and those uploaded on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) website, with clear evidence of result manipulation in favor of Khurram.^{[9] [10] [11]}

Notes and References

1. News: Imran Khan's PTI on top as election results come in . 26 July 2018.
2. Web site: NA-52 Result - Election Results 2018 - Islamabad 1 - NA-52 Candidates - NA-52 Constituency Details - thenews.com.pk . www.thenews.com.pk . 1 August 2018 . en.
3. News: PML-N gets NA-46, NA-48 goes to independent candidate . 22 August 2024 . DAWN.COM . 9 February 2024 . en.
4. News: Independent candidate Raja Khuram Shehzad Nawaz wins NA-48 election . 22 August 2024 . 9 February 2024.
5. Web site: NA-48 Election Result . Samaa . 22 August 2024.
6. News: Court suspends ‘victories’ on all three capital seats . 22 August 2024 . DAWN.COM . 20 February 2024 . en.
7. News: Asad . Malik . Poll victory of Islamabad candidates to remain suspended till ECP decision . 22 August 2024 . DAWN.COM . 22 February 2024 . en.
8. News: Seven Independent MNAs, 21 Independent MPAs Join PML-N . 22 August 2024 . The Friday Times . 19 February 2024 . en.
9. News: Khan . Iftikhar A. . Declared winners of Islamabad NA seats secured less votes than runners-up, audit claims . 19 May 2024 . DAWN.COM . 19 May 2024 . en.
10. News: ‘ECP and courts urged to complete election related cases on priority basis’ . 22 August 2024 . www.thenews.com.pk . en.
11. Web site: PR dated 18 May 2024 . Pattan . 22 August 2024.