Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court, while disposing of a petition concerning the recent elections of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), observed that if any person is aggrieved by the electoral process, they may seek remedy from the relevant forum, i.e., the Pakistan Sports Board, under its Constitution.

In Writ Petition No. 1105-2024 filed before the Islamabad High Court, the petitioner, Lt. Col (Retd.) Muhammad Asif Dar, contended that the PTF held elections on February 10, 2024, in contravention of the directions issued by the Pakistan Sports Board and contrary to judicial orders, and thus the elections should be declared null and void.

The legal counsel representing the PTF argued that the elections were conducted in accordance with constitutional provisions. Moreover, the petitioner neither contested the elections nor was a candidate, and hence cannot be considered an aggrieved party.

PSB’s Legal Advisor, Saif-ur-Rehman Rao, submitted before the Hon’ble Court that, in 2022, had directed the Pakistan Sports Board to notify the Election Commission, Election Regulations, and a Model Constitution for Sports Federations in accordance with the law and the 2022 Constitution.

He further informed the Court that in compliance with the said judicial directives, the current Director General of the Pakistan Sports Board had obtained approval from the PSB’s Board of Directors for the establishment of an Election Commission and Election Regulations and had also constituted an independent Panel of Adjudicators to hear appeals at the designated forum.

After hearing arguments from all parties, the Hon’ble Judge issued a detailed five-page judgment yesterday, disposing of the petition with directions that if any person is aggrieved by the electoral process, they may approach the Pakistan Sports Board under its Constitution and seek remedy from the relevant forum (PSB).