Chahat Fateh Ali Khan’s dream shattered as ECP rejects his nomination papers

LONDON: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the nomination papers of singing sensation and comic icon Chahat Fateh Ali over his dual Pakistani and British nationality.

“My dream to stand in the election and then win and serve Pakistan in the National Assembly is shattered but I will not give up. I call on the ECP to allow me to run in elections on an exceptional basis,” the British Pakistani star told this reporter over the phone from Lahore.

“This is not fair to overseas Pakistanis like myself,” said the former founder and leader of Pakistan Development Party (PDP) and British Public Party (BPP).

Chahat Fateh Ali Khan – whose real name is Kashif Rana, had reached Lahore from London around six weeks ago for live performances, invited by his fans, but decided to submit nomination papers to have a go at the parliamentary politics.

The social media sensation said. “The Returning Officer rejected my nomination papers during the scrutiny process. Every Pakistani can hold dual citizenship according to the constitution and therefore, they should also be allowed to contest the polls. The expatriates contribute a lot to the economy of Pakistan by sending millions of rupees every month, we should be allowed to run in elections too.”

The British-Pakistani internet singing sensation was planning to contest general elections as an independent candidate on February 8, 2024 for the National Assembly seat from Lahore’s NA-128.

“I decided to submit my papers after thousands of my fans voted for me on social media and asked me to take part in Pakistani politics. In several polls, thousands voted for me to become the next prime minister of Pakistan. These voices matter,” said Chahat who has asked the fellow Pakistanis to raise their voices for him.

He told this reporter he had launched his own BPP to end the two party hold on British politics. “I wanted to end the dominance of Labour and Conservative parties. Liberal Democrats are a third party but not that effective. I wanted to bring change in the UK political system and also I wanted to get more representation to spirations to Asians and other minorities.”