ECP to submit list of rejected candidates to full bench: LHC

Bench to conduct hearing of appeals filed by rejected electoral candidates with support from FBR, Nadra, SBP and NAB.

LAHORE: Justice Mansoor Ali shah of Lahore high Court has sent the cases of electoral candidates pertaining to article 62 and 63 to full bench, Express News reported on Tuesday.

The court ordered that the records, of the candidates, maintained by National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Nadra, should reach the ECP, tribunals and court. The final decision will be made on the basis of these records.

The ECP is to formulate list of candidates who have submitted appeals against their rejection, Justice Mansoor ordered.

The poll body set up nine tribunals to process appeals from candidates whose nominations have been rejected which is counted as the third phase of the election process. The first and second were a collection of nomination papers and scrutiny of these papers.

The tribunals — five at Lahore High Court, two at Sindh High Court and one each at Peshawar High Court and Balochistan High Court — will hear appeals against rejection of nomination papers.

The ECP wrapped up the tedious process of nomination papers’ scrutiny for as many as 24,094 candidates from across the country on April 7.

“The nine tribunals will receive appeals from April 8 to April 10,” said ECP spokesperson Khursheed Alam. He added that the tribunals would start hearing the appeals from April 11 and continue doing so till April 17.

Several prominent politicians failed the scrutiny process.

Those who had their nomination papers rejected include former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, former leader of opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and former president Pervez Musharraf got rejected from Karachi, Qasur II and Islamabad and so on.