MULTAN/ KARACHI/ PESHAWAR - The nomination papers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leaders including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omer Ayub, Haleem Adil Sheikh were cleared Friday, allowing them to contest the upcoming general elections scheduled to take place on February 8.
Qureshi’s papers were approved after the Election Appellate Tribunal conducted a hearing of appeals against the rejection or acceptance of nomination submissions by the returning officers (ROs) in the run-up to the polls.
The nomination papers by the PTI politician were approved by the tribunal for the NA-214 constituency in Sindh’s Umarkot city, while his son Zain Qureshi’s papers were also cleared for contesting in the same constituency. Meanwhile, a petition filed by PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan against the rejection of his nomination papers for NA-18 was dismissed in Abbottabad. However, he has been allowed to contest polls from NA-18 in Haripur.
The tribunal also allowed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Babar Nawaz to contest the election from NA-18. Both Ayub and Nawaz withdrew their objections against each other, after which their papers were approved.
PTI leader in Sindh Haleem Adil Sheikh has also been cleared to contest from NA- 238. Another PTI candidate Arsalan Khalid’s papers were also approved from NA-241 after the tribunal heard his appeal.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Mirza Ikhtiar Baig has been granted conditional permission to contest the election from the NA-241 constituency due to his dual citizenship status.
Tribunal judge Adnan Al- Karim Memon told Baig to submit an affidavit if he has renounced his dual citizenship status.
“If the affidavit is found to be false, then after the election, the victory will be annulled,” the tribunal said.
Appeal of PTI candidate Arslan Khalid was also accepted and tribunal allowed him to take part in National Assembly election from NA 241 (Karachi) ۔
Nomination paper of PTI candidate from Noshera was also cleared to vie for election. Tribunal conducted hearing of PTI aspirant Mian Muhammad Omer and granted him permission to run for election from PK 88 (Noshera).
In Peshawar election tribunal judge Justice Shakeel Ahmad accepted nomination papers of Atif Khan for NA 22 and PK 59 (Mardan). In Rawalpindi, appellate tribunal rejected RO’s decision and cleared Raja Basharat to contest polls from NA 55 and PP 15.
Zulfi Bukhari’s appeal was allowed by a tribunal and he was given permission to run for election from Attock’s NA 50 constituency. Former PTI MPA from PP 15 was also allowed to contest election.
Appellate Tribunal Judge Asjad Javed conducted hearing of PTI lawyer Naeem Panjotha against RO’s decision and declared returning officer’s decision as null and void. Panjotha will contest election from National Assembly constituency NA 82 (Sargodha) and PP 71 and PP 80.
However, former PTI MPA Arif Abbasi’s appeal from PP 19 was rejected by the election tribunal. Appellate court said Arif Abbasi was a proclaimed offender and he had not surrendered to the court.
Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry’s nomination papers were accepted by appellate tribunal from Jhelum’s two National Assembly constituencies. Lahore High Court Multan bench on Friday accepted appeal of former Punjab Governor, Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar to contest elections from NA- 182, Kot Addu .
According to details, the Judge, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa accepted the appeal of Mustafa Khar for contesting next elections. Another appeal filed by wife of Ghulam Mustafa Khar was also approved by the Tribunal judge to go into the elections.
Moreover, the appeal of an independent candidate, Imran Shaukat was accepted to fight from national and provincial constituencies. He was allowed to contest elections from NA- 152 and PP- 221. Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar accepted his appeal.
Chaudhari Akhtar Maqbool, another candidate hailing from Karor Lal Esan, district Layyah, whose nomination papers were rejected earlier was also given go-ahead as his appeal was approved.
Judge of the Election Tribunal, Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar conducted hearing on twenty three (23) appeals. Another Judge, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa heard appeals of forty seven (47) cases.
There were as many as 219 appeals filed against decisions of Returning Officers (ROs) in the Appellant Tribunals and that the appeals were filed from different districts including Pakpattan, Sahiwal Vehari, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Chichawatni.
Earlier on Thursday, several senior political leaders including Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Akhtar Mengal, and Firdous Shamim Naqvi among others secured relief from election tribunals as their nomination papers were accepted for contesting in upcoming polls.
Hearing of objections filed against rejection or acceptance of nomination papers by the election tribunals and courts of law continued on Thursday during which different election tribunals approved the nomination papers of Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Rashid, Balochistan National Party (BNP) head Mengal and PML-Zia chief Ijazul Haq.
Majority of the PML-N mainstream and central leadership has already cleared the hurdles and their nomination papers have been accepted.