Murad, Swati cleared to contest Senate polls

PHC dismisses petitions against nomination papers of both former ministers

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has decisively dismissed the petitions challenging the acceptance of nomination papers for prominent Senate election candidates Azam Swati and Murad Saeed, among others, clearing the path for their participation in the upcoming Senate polls.

The bench, comprising Justice Arshad Ali and Justice Waqar, presided over the case and dismissed all petitions filed against the approval of nomination papers for Senate hopefuls.

The court upheld the decision of the appellate tribunal, asserting the eligibility of the candidates for the Senate elections.

The petitions were filed by opposition candidate Taj Muhammad Afridi.

During the hearing, the complainant's lawyer raised objections regarding Murad Saeed's nomination papers, citing discrepancies in the disclosure of past legal proceedings and alleged inconsistencies in financial declarations.

He told the court that when Murad Saeed filed his nomination papers for the National Assembly elections, he had mentioned 10 FIRs in it. However, upon submission of papers for the Senate, these FIRs were omitted, and another list was attached instead.

The lawyer further contended that the PTI leader failed to disclose the FIRs in the Senate nomination papers and also concealed statements related to them.

Furthermore, he highlighted that Murad Saeed incurred a fine of Rs50,000 from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during the local government elections. Despite receiving a notice from the polls supervisory body in December to settle the fine, which remained unpaid, Murad Saeed was still labelled as an absconder.

The lawyer questioned why Murad Saeed's papers were rejected on March 19 by the ECP despite presenting a receipt indicating payment of the fine on December 19.

Moreover, he alleged that the signatures produced by Murad Saeed in the Swat tribunal were forged.

However, Murad Saeed's legal representative, Ali Azeem Afridi, rebutted these claims, providing clarifications regarding the attached documents and financial disclosures.

He stated that along with the nomination papers, a list of FIRs was attached, which was part of their procedural documentation.

The counsel clarified that Murad Saeed holds two bank accounts in his name. "I'm unaware of the bank account they are referring to. They mention Rs2 million, but it's actually Rs1.9 million and Rs1.24 million. combined to make Rs2 million," he said.

Afridi pointed out that the sum of Rs2 million is not separate. He further explained that although he had paid the fine of Rs100,000, it does not fall under government arrears.

The lawyer informed the court that Murad Saeed had paid the money and attached the receipts on pages 84 and 85.

Following the completion of arguments, the bench affirmed the PTI leader's eligibility for the Senate elections, thereby upholding the tribunal's decision.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2024.