Tribunal clears key PTI candidates

Rawalpindi’s political bigwigs rejoice in newfound eligibility

RAWALPINDI:

The third and crucial phase of the upcoming general elections concluded on Wednesday as an election tribunal concluded the hearing of appeals against the rejection of nomination papers for seven national and 14 provincial assembly seats in Rawalpindi.

In a surprising development, the nomination papers of prominent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were approved, stipulating the political bigwigs into the election arena.

The nomination papers of former ministers and assembly members were initially rejected by returning officers, but the latest development has caused a significant political stir as these candidates re-entered the election arena.

A total of 165 appeals were filed for national and provincial seats in Rawalpindi district, along with two national and four provincial seats in Mianwali. Among them, 103 appeals were approved, 56 were rejected, and six were withdrawn.

The appellate tribunal operating under the jurisdiction of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench, consisting of Justice Mirza Waqas Rauf and Justice Chaudhary Abdul Aziz, issued verdicts on all filed appeals.

Accepted appeals declared several candidates eligible for the upcoming election, including former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, former Punjab speaker Sabtain Khan, deputy speaker Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, former law minister Basharat Raja, former minister Raja Rashid Hafeez, former federal minister Ijazul Haq, Major Tahir Sadiq, Naz Sadiq, Iman Sadiq, Zulfi Bukhari, Ijaz Khan Jazi, Murtaza Satti, Major Latasab Sati, Ayaz Amir, Umair Khan Niazi, Fozia Behram, Colonel Ajmal Sabir, Seemabia Tahir, and Raja Nasir.

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However, key figures such as former premier Imran Khan, former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, former minister Fawad Chaudhary, Hiba Chaudhry, Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Arif Abbasi, and former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s media advisor Mian Khurram Rasool had their appeals rejected, barring them from the election.

Candidates whose appeals were rejected plan to challenge the election tribunal's decision in the Lahore High Court Larger Bench on Thursday.

The larger bench is expected to resolve all appeals within three days. The election tribunals forwarded the list of approved appeals to relevant returning officers on Wednesday, and a new list will be issued on Thursday, incorporating the approved names.

Islamabad tribunal

Separately, an Islamabad appellate tribunal decided on 70 cases and approved 65 candidates’ appeals against the rulings of returning officers.

Tribunal Judge Arbab Muhammad Tahir rejected two appeals against the approval of the nomination papers of a transgender candidate. Meanwhile, the judge rejected an appeal of a candidate against the rejection of his nomination papers on grounds of dual nationality. The appeals of all PTI candidates including Shoaib Shaheen, Niaz Ullah Niazi, and Zafarullah Shah were approved.

In the aftermath of these legal victories, PTI’s prospects for the upcoming general elections in the region are bolstered.

As the election season unfolds, the party’s focus on addressing internal discrepancies and presenting a united front becomes paramount.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2024.