Hearings begin for rejected nominations

Two election tribunals at LHC’s Rawalpindi Bench admit 27 petitions

RAWALPINDI:

Regular hearings have commenced in the election tribunals concerning the rejection of nomination papers for seven national and 14 provincial assembly seats in the Rawalpindi district.

On Tuesday, the two election tribunals at the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench approved 27 petitions for hearing. Notices have been issued to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the relevant Returning Officers (ROs), demanding complete records and objections filed against the candidates.

The election tribunal accepted the request of Umair Khan Niazi, the spokesperson for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan, to summon the relevant ROs in a personal capacity to answer the rejected papers from NA-89 and NA-90 from Mianwali.

The appeals of key PTI candidates, including former federal interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, were also admitted for hearing.

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Judge Mirza Waqas Rauf heard the appeals against the rejection of the nomination papers of former security czar NA-56 and NA-57 and NA-56 and his nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq from NA-56 and PP-18, seeking a complete record of rejection of the nomination papers on January 4.

Furthermore, the election tribunal also admitted the appeals of former federal minister Muhammad Ijazul Haq from NA-55 Rawalpindi Cantt, former provincial law minister Basharat Raja from NA-55 Rawalpindi Cantt and PP-15 and former provincial minister Raja Rashid Hafeez from NA-56 and PP-17 in addition to the appeals of Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq, his wife Naz Sadiq and daughter Iman Waseem from the three seats of Attock.

The appeals of Colonel (retd) Ajmal Sabir of PTI from NA-53 and PP-10, his wife Mrs. Sabir, Qazi Ayub Akbar from Attock provincial seat, Babar Sultan Jadoon of PPP from NA-55, Zaid Khaliq Kiani from NA-55 Cantt and PP-15, Arij Shah Nawaz from NA-55, and Anam Zahid from PP-14 were also admitted for hearing.

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Senior lawyer Shaukat Joya, in the appeals, criticized the decisions of the ROs as biased and one-sided, urging permission for the candidates to contest the elections.

Advocate Sardar Abdul Raziq, representing the former interior minister, argued that his client was falsely accused of being a defaulter. He clarified, “The day Rashid was shown staying in the rest house, he was not in Murree but in Lahore meeting the chief minister,” demanding that the decision be set aside.

On the other hand, appeals of former federal minister Fawad Chaudhary and his wife Hiba Chaudhary were also filed from Jhelum and are slated for hearing today [Wednesday].

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2024.