LHC tells ROs to receive papers of two PTI candidates

Police ordered not to harass Jamshed Dasti, wife

MULTAN:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) Multan Bench ordered the returning officers concerned on Saturday to receive the nomination papers for the coming general elections of two candidates of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the police not to hinder the process for another. 

Former MNA from Layyah Abdul Majeed Khan Niazi had approached court against the returning officer (RO) for not receiving his nomination papers. Senior judge of the bench Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar ordered the RO to receive the nomination papers.

The petitioner’s lawyer Rana Asif Saeed submitted that his client had tried to submit the nomination papers in the RO's office from Friday morning till the evening but he had declined to receive them.

Under Section 7 of the Election Act of 2017, any candidate may submit nomination papers through a proposed representative. Petitioner Abdull Majeed Niazi was a PTI candidate from NA-181 whose nomination papers were not being received, he contended.

Read PTI leader faces 13 FIRs, LHC informed

After hearing a plea against non-acceptance of the nomination papers of PTI candidate Jam Younis advocate who is seeking to contest the elections from the Punjab Assembly constituency PP-268 in Muzaffargarh, Justice Dogar directed the RO to receive the papers. Advocate Rana Asif Saeed, representing the petitioner, argued that Younis had attempted to submit his nomination papers at the RO's office but he had refused to receive them.

Meanwhile, former MNA Jamshed Dasti’s wife Nazia filed a petition in the high court through Advocate Amir Khan Bhutta against alleged harassment by police.

Justice Dogar ordered the police not to harass the applicant and her husband.

Nazia Jamshed is seeking to contest the elections from NA-175 and NA-176.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th,  2023.