Mamnoon Hussain's presidential election papers accepted, despite 'lack of beard'

Presidential candidates raised three objections over Mamoon Hussain’s nomination papers.

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.