Musharraf challenges rejection of his papers

He challenges rejection of his nomination papers to contest elections from the constituency of NA-250 Karachi.

RAWALPINDI/ LAHORE/ KARACHI:

Former president Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday challenged rejection of his nomination papers to contest elections from the constituency of NA-250 Karachi.

A three-member appellate bench of the Sindh High Court adjourned hearing on plea till Thursday April 18, due to absence of Musharraf’s lawyer.

The returning officer had rejected his nomination papers on the allegation that being chief of army staff and president, Musharraf held the constitution in abeyance and detained and removed judges of superior judiciary.

Assailing this order before the appellate bench, Musharraf cited many politicians convicted by trial courts, including former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani and Mohajir Qaumi Movement chief Afaq Ahmed, who were allowed to contest election.

“But, the appellant’s (Musharraf’s) nomination papers have been rejected despite the fact he has not been convicted in any case by any court,” his attorney argued, pleading the court to allow him contest the polls.

Plea against ex-CM Sindh

The court cleared former chief minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah to contest polls.

The bench dismissed a petition challenging acceptance of Shah’s nomination papers to contest election from PS-29 seat, Khairpur.

Advocate Manzoor Hussain Ansari, who challenged Shah’s candidature, claimed the former chief minister was involved in corruption.

On the last day, the election tribunal in Sindh allowed seven appeals challenging rejection or acceptance of intending candidates’ nomination papers by the returning officers. Thirteen such appeals were, however, dismissed. A total of 421 appeals were heard and decided by the tribunal.

Appeals against Imran rejected

An election tribunal of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday threw out five appeals against acceptance of PTI chairman Imran Khan’s nomination papers.

The same tribunal allowed an appeal against candidature of former PML-Q MNA Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain barring him from contesting elections.

Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gull of PPP had challenged the acceptance of Wajahat Hussain’s nomination papers from NA-104 and PP-108, Gujrat.

He accused Hussain of getting bank loans written off and also concealing his assets in the nomination papers.

Gull had also filed an appeal against rejection of his nomination papers from the same constituencies for being a dual national. He submitted that he had surrendered the foreign nationality but the returning officer ignored the facts and documents submitted by him (Gull) to this effect.

The tribunal accepted both appeals rejecting nomination papers of Hussain and allowing Gull to contest the election.

Another election tribunal dismissed appeals of former PPP MPA Aslam Midhyana and former PML-Q MPA Seemal Kamran against rejection of their nomination papers from Sargodha and on a reserved seat respectively.

Returning officer of PP-31, Sargodha had rejected nomination papers of Midhyana for being involved in dozens of criminal cases, illegal possession of government school and breaking the legs of school teacher Nafees Ahmad.

Rawalpindi tribunal

The appellate tribunal in Rawalpindi disposed of 130 appeals for and against the rejections of candidates since its started working on April 8.

The tribunal dismissed 90 appeals against the decisions of returning officers and accepted objectors’ plea in 33 cases.

It referred cases of two candidates to the ECP and seven objectors withdrew their appeals.

The tribunal accepted appeal against the acceptance of nomination papers of a PTI candidate Shahid Pervaiz Gillani and declared him ineligible to contest elections from NA-54 Rawalpindi. The appeal was filed by another member of PTI.

During the last 10 days, the most prominent appeals in the Rawalpindi seat of election tribunal were those regarding candidature of Pervez Musharraf, Raja Pervez Ashraf, former Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ayaz Amir, Imran Khan and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2013.