ISLAMABAD: The asset details of four Senate candidates, including Babar Awan and Aitzaz Ahsan, have been challenged with the Election Commission of Pakistan, officials told The Express Tribune.
The other two candidates are Zulfiqar Khosa and Zafarullah Khan Dhandhla.
The declared assets will be scrutinised on Friday, while appeals against rejection and acceptance of nomination papers can be filed on Monday and Tuesday, officials said. The ECP will then conduct a hearing before a full election commission board on Wednesday and Thursday in Islamabad.
On February 24, candidates who wish to withdraw can intimate the ECP and a final list of candidates will be published.
According to details submitted to the ECP, PML-N’s Khosa owns 99 acres of land and pays agricultural tax worth Rs7,000 a year. He also has Rs0.7 million in his bank account.
Aitzaz owns 100 acres while his wife owns 50 acres of land. Aitzaz also has 13 bank accounts which contain Rs100.85 million. His wife has Rs15 million in seven bank accounts.
Awan, apart from property worth Rs20.5 million in Spain, has two vehicles, agricultural land worth Rs20 million, bank accounts containing Rs70.78 million and investments in a bank and a private company worth Rs30.40 million. Awan also owns a house in Islamabad worth Rs30 million and an office in Lahore worth Rs2 million.
PML-N’s Zafarullah Dhandhla has Rs0.5 million, two vehicles and 74.25 acres of land. He pays Rs3,000 in agricultural tax.
ECP rejects nomination papers of two PML-N candidates
The ECP on Thursday refused to accept nominaion papers of two candidates of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), contesting for senate seats from Islamabad and directed them to complete their documentation by tomorrow.
The commission directed Muhammad Omar Mughal and Dr Mazhar Hussain of PML-N to complete their credentials required for contesting the senate elections for technocrat and general seats.
They had submitted incomplete nomination papers earlier this month. Dr Hussain applied for a technocrat seat and could not submit the certificate of achievement. A technocrat is required submit national-level achievements under the senate elections act 1995.
Mughal is contesting for general seat in Islamabad.
The ECP accepted nomination papers of other two candidates – Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid’s (PML-Q) leader Mushahid Hussain Syed and Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) leader Osman Saifullah.
ECP scrutinises nomination papers, assets
A two-day scrutiny process of nomination papers submitted to the ECP for Senate elections kicked today.
The commission is reviewing the papers submitted by the candidates along with the details of their assets.
The appeals regarding objections would be disposed of on February 22 and 23. The finalised list of the candidates will also be announced on February 24.
The ECP had received around 93 applications for 33 general seats, 29 applications for 8 women seats, 26 for nine technocrats and 18 for four minorities’ seats.
Province-wise, 25 applications were received in Punjab, 32 in Sindh, 38 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 51 in Balochistan against 12 seats from each province.
Fifteen nominations have been received against four seats for Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Against two seats in the federal capital, the ECP received four nominations – PML-Q’s Mushahid Hussain Syed, PPP’s Osman Saifullah, PML-N’s Dr Mazhar Hussain Mirza and Muhammad Omar Mughal.
Assets declared
The assets of candidates including Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Babar Awan and Aitzaz Ahsan and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz’s (PML-N) Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa and Zafarullah Dhandla, were declared during the scrutiny.
According to Express News, Khosa has an amount of Rs0.7 million in his bank accounts. It was also reported that the agricultural tax paid by him during the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 sums up to Rs7,000.
The funds in Ahsan’s bank account were declared to be Rs100 million while it was reported that he owns 100 acres. Awan has Rs80 million in his bank accounts and property worth millions of rupees.
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Leaders Ameer-tareen, Voters ghareeb-tareen. Wah Pakistan Wah !!
Rich people should be disbarred from Government.
A man/woman who has never travelled in a public bus would ever know the issues faced by the common man/woman.
Perhaps, ECP should also check the degree claims of the candidates ..
It would be also good to know their additional sources of income since making that kind of money from just one govt. job is not possible.
PML Q zindabad