Applications against Kulsoom Nawaz's nomination papers rejected

High court's appellate tribunal dismisses applications filed by PAT and PPP's NA-120 candidates

An appellate tribunal of the high court rejected on Monday the applications filed against the acceptance of Kulsoom Nawaz's nominations papers for the NA-120 by-election.

A two member bench of the tribunal headed by Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh heard the arguments of the applicants.

Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhary and Faisal Mir, the candidates of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) respectively for the seat, had moved the tribunal against their rival's papers.

The PAT candidate in his application submitted that the returning officer had accepted the papers ignoring ‘concealed facts’.

He pointed out that Kulsoom’s iqama (UAE work permit) was not mentioned in the papers. Therefore, he added, the papers should be rejected for concealing this fact.

PPP's Mir contended that his party had provided copies of the recent judgement of the Supreme Court in the Panama case, along with a heap of other evidence. However, the officer ignored all evidence and took just five minutes to accept the nomination papers.

The bench, after hearing the arguments, dismissed the applications.

A returning officer had accepted Kulsoom’s papers on August 17, rejecting the objections filed by the PPP and PAT candidates.

The objections were filed under the Representation of Peoples Act 1976 by Faisal Mir of the PPP and Chaudhry.

Kulsoom is running for the seat her husband Nawaz was forced to vacate last month after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding office.