Mamnoon Hussain. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) presidential candidate Mamnoon Hussain's nomination papers were accepted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) despite objections raised during scrutiny, reported Express News on Friday.
Two presidential candidates had raised three objections over Mamnoon Hussain’s nomination papers.
Zahoor Hussain, who is also contesting the presidential election, raised an objection saying that according to Islamic practices Mamnoon Hussain should have a beard.
Zahoor Hussain told the Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ibrahim that Hussain is over the age of 65, which is older than the required age for retirement.
Another objection was regarding Hussain’s position in the PML-N, as a presidential candidate is to be free of any party affiliation.
A large number of ECP officials and election candidates are in Islamabad as scrutiny of nomination papers continue.
An alumnus of the Institute of Business Administration, from where he graduated in 1965, Mamnoon Hussain is an old loyalist of Nawaz Sharif and remained with the PML-N during the regime of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. He served as the governor of Sindh from June to October 1999 and lost the post after the then army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf toppled the PML-N government in a military coup in Oct 1999.
Hussain belongs to Sindh and lives in Karachi, where he owns a textile business.
PTI candidate Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed
The ECP accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf presidential candidate Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed's nomination papers.
Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed is a retired senior judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a former member of Pakistan’s higher judiciary and the central figure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He resigned from the Supreme Court of Pakistan instead of taking oath of the office according to Pervez Musharraf’s Provisional Constitutional Order. He has also been nominated by the lawyers community as a presidential candidate against Pervez Musharraf in 2007 elections in Pakistan.
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@Assad: unfortunately the brainwashing in Pakistan makes it difficult to see another picture, not unlike North Koreans. Go to India and see for yourself! This "figurehead Muslim" you talk about is India's leading Missile Scientist and Technology Leader - he has been one of the greatest and most loved and knowledeable Presidents of India!! BTW we currently have more "fugureheads" as Foreign Minister and Vice President! LOL....you really need to wake up smell the coffee
@np: The reason is simple. In Pakistan the term Muhajir is applied only to a person whose mother tongue is Urdu . . . regardless of the fact whether he/she had actually migrated from India or was born in Pakistan. On the other hand, a Punjabi- or a Sindhi-speaking person or even a Bengali-speaking person will never be considered a Muhajir . . . even though he/she may have actually migrated from India.
@Ali Tanoli President , Vice President , and even Foreign Minister of India are often time Muslims yet great Majority of Muslims live in abject poverty below or at the economic level of untouchables hence the demand for quota by both . Accommodating one or two individuals is easy securing eligible rights by a people is not possible without struggle and a fight .
Great idea - while negotiating peace talks with Taliban / TTP one of their demand will be that those without beard should be un eligible to contest election in Pakistan. Thus women will automatically be out of election. Additionally all the contestants must have gone one year crash course on Islamic ideology (written by mullah Omar). Political parties should be prepared for similar demands.
@Ali Tanoli: The fact that these people are called Muhajir is a problem. No one in India can disinguish between Hindus and Sikhs that came to India at time of partition and those that were already there prior to partition induced migration.
Pl do not make fun of beard. If some one keeps or does not keep a beard is a different matter but pl do not make fun. It is one of the 'ashaar' (symbols) of Islam and Rasool Akram (SAW) had a beard. There are many other topics to make fun of.
Beard as a qualification -- hahahah!! !Oh!...things that go on in the Citadel of .....
Born in Agra belong to a rich busniss family background of Urdu speaking karachiete... and still Muhajir complains of quata,...
presidential candidate mamnoon from madrassa lol.............shame shame shame. it is obvious that there are lack of literate candidates.what else we can expect from failed state.
@Muhammad Ahsan KHAN: BRAIN ???? What is this thing???? there is no such thing recognizable in vocabulary of N league and N Sharif; For him, this PM, it is a juicy and tasty ingredient put in Payaas and Niharis to eat, not to use it. It is established for sure that the BEARD, the longer it is, the better, and possibly touching the gentials, should be displayed and used with pride to superimpose authority that the individual is going to use without fear and remorse;
Pathetic headline by ET. After all Nawaz and Zardari do not have beards and so did BB(!)
There are two types of people who don't have beard, Women & Children :p
@Muhammad Ahsan KHAN: yah ofcourse , dont you know that after Zial Ul Hq , thats what our belief system is
The Logic is clear: Only a dictator can be beardless +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ eg P. Mush.
The person who raised the beard objection should have his head examined. It was rightly said that there may be a beard in Islam, but there is no Islam in the beard.
Beard? LOL....
Ideally Presidential candidates should be dignified figures that inspire respect and have a record of excellence in their field both within and outside the country. Loyal party hacks of shining mediocrity do not fit the bill.
Is Beard more important than Brain?
Ok this is such a sensationalist misleading headline. Typical.
Beard?? seriously?? might as well nominate ehsanullah ehsan for president, our criteria is slowly beginning to align itself with the TTP criteria..deplorable.