Court stalls by-polls

Despite widespread rumours — and later confirmation — regarding the suspension of the by-election process in NA-185 Dera Ghazi Khan, the first day of issuing nomination papers witnessed considerable interest from candidates.

Returning Officer Waseem Akhtar Jatoi said 22 nomination forms were issued for 10 candidates on the opening day.

Among the prominent political figures for whom forms were collected were Dost Muhammad Khan Khosa, Jamal Khan Leghari, Mehmood Qadir Leghari, Dr Shafiq Patafi, and Usama Abdul Karim. Forms were also collected on behalf of Anas Abdul Karim, Umar Adil, Zafar Bashir, and Sheikh Muhammad Naqeeb, mostly by their proposers.

Under the schedule released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), nomination papers can be submitted from August 28 to 30, with the initial list of candidates to be issued on the evening of August 30.

Scrutiny of papers is scheduled for September 3. Each candidate may obtain up to four forms, available in both Urdu and English, at a cost of Rs100 per form. Meanwhile, uncertainty prevailed among voters of NA-185, who awaited the written order of the Peshawar High Court regarding reports of suspension of the election process.

The case stems from a writ petition filed by disqualified MNA Zartaj Gul against the ECP's August 5 notification.

District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan, Usman Khalid, confirmed that the election process in the constituency has been halted until further orders in compliance with the court's directive.