Senate elections: PTI challenges nomination of two contestants

Petitioner argues that the two are not residents of the federal capital.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf challenged in the Islamabad High Court the nomination of two Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz members, one from Kyber-Pakhtunkwa and the other from Sindh, to contest Senate elections against seats in the federal capital.

The nomination papers of Zafar Iqbal Jhagra from K-P, and Dr Raheela Magsi from Sindh have been challenged by PTI Information Secretary Shireen Mazari on the pretext that neither is a resident of the federal capital.

A two-member IHC bench consisting of Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamir Farooq will take up the case ‘as objection’ today (Thursday).

The IHC registrar objected to the petition on the point that the petitioner had not attached copies of the pair’s nomination papers along with the petition.

In the petition, Mazari maintains, “They are neither residents of the capital, nor do they vote from the city, so they cannot contest election from Islamabad.”

Counsel for the petitioner, Shoaib Razak, told The Express Tribune that Jhagra and Magsi had lost the general elections from their constituencies and the ruling PML-N gave them Senate tickets from capital, which is against the constitution. He argued that it would be unfair for residents of the capital if tickets were awarded to people from other provinces.

The counsel claimed that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had objected to the PML-N awarding a ticket to Magsi, but the ECP ignored the appeal, which forced the PTI to approach the court.

The Senate elections will be held on March 3. Half of the 104 total seats will be up for grabs.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2015.