Tribunal seeks comments from ROs, ECP on Fehmida, Zulfiqar Mirza’s pleas

The appellate election tribunal on Thursday issued notices to returning officers and the Election Commission of Pakistan on appeals filed by Grand Democratic Alliance leaders Dr Fehmida Mirza and her spouse Dr Zulfiqar Mirza.

Former National Assembly speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza and her spouse and former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza had filed appeals against the rejection of their nomination papers from national and provincial assembly constituencies NA-223 Badin and PS-70, PS71 and PS-72 respectively.

The appellants’ counsel submitted that the nomination papers of the appellants were rejected on ground of a bank loan default in an early 2003 case, which was not substantial under the law and there was no bank default.

The tribunal was requested to set aside the ROs’ orders and direct them to accept the appellants’ nomination papers from their respective constituencies. The tribunal issued notices to the ROs and the ECP for January 8 and called their comments.

The election tribunal also issued notices to the ROs and the ECP on election appeals filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Peoples Party and other candidates against the rejection of their nomination papers from national and provincial assemblies’ constituencies.

Appellants Fizza Zeeshan, Rauf Ahmed, Subhan Ali Sahil, Akhtar Ali, Sheikh Mohammad Saeed, Aijazuddin, Prem Jee, Aneeta, Asghar Hussain, Jamaluddin, Mohammad Arif, Rasheed Ahmed had challenged the rejection of their nomination papers from NA-236, PS-108, NA-243, PS-86, PS-103, PS-101, PS-107, PS-108, NA-238, PS-123, NA-235 and NA-234 Karachi respectively.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Saeed Ghani has accused the State of Bank of Pakistan of unduly favouring GDA candidates Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and Dr Fahmida Mirza by issuing a letter which could save them from disqualification.

Speaking at a press conference at the media cell of the Bilawal House on Thursday, he alleged that the State Bank had unduly issued the letter on January 1 which was a bank holiday.

Ghani opined that the State Bank shouldn’t have issued the letter to intimate the Election Commission of Pakistan that no bank loan was payable by the GDA leaders. He said that as per the version of the State Bank the loan was payable by the Mirza Sugar Mill company instead of the two GDA candidates.

He said the two GDA leaders had to pay back the bank loan of over Rs210 million as per the orders of the Sindh High Court given in November 2023.

The PPP leader said the nomination papers of the GDA leaders had been duly rejected due to default on the bank loan obtained for the Mirza Sugar Mill. He said the State Bank was under an obligation to inform the ECP as to why it was unduly facilitating the GDA leaders despite their status as bank defaulters.

He said the nomination papers filed by the candidates of the Mirza family were lawfully rejected as per the rules of the ECP as the GDA leaders had concealed their status as the defaulters of bank loans.

To a question, he reiterated the demand of the PPP to provide a level playing field to every political party contesting the upcoming elections. He said the ECP was under an obligation to seriously look into the accusation of any deprived political party in this regard.