Feb 8 polls: Qureshi, Omar Ayub cleared, Swati’s plea rejected

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The nomination papers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi were cleared on Friday, allowing him to contest the general election on February 8.

His papers were approved after the election appellate tribunal conducted a hearing of appeals against the rejection of nomination submissions by the returning officer (ROs). He was allowed to contest the election from NA-214 constituency in Sindh’s Umarkot city, while his son Zain Qureshi’s papers were also cleared for contesting the election from the same constituency.

Meanwhile, a petition filed by PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan against the rejection of his nomination papers for NA-18 was dismissed in Abbottabad. However, he was allowed to contest polls from NA-18 Haripur constituency. The tribunal also allowed Babar Nawaz of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) to contest the election from NA-18.

Both Ayub and Nawaz withdrew their objections against each other, after which their papers were approved.

PTI leader in Sindh Haleem Adil Sheikh was also cleared to contest from NA-238 Karachi. Another PTI candidate Arsalan Khalid’s papers were also approved from NA-241 after the tribunal heard his appeal.

Meanwhile, the nomination papers of Naeem Panjutha, counsel for the PTI founder, were accepted from NA-82, PP-80 and PP-71 Sargodha constituencies. Appellant Tribunal Judge Asjad Javed Ghural nullified the RO decision. Panjutha had filed nomination papers against PMLN chief organiser Maryam Nawaz.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Mirza Ikhtiar Baig was granted conditional permission to contest the election from the NA-241 constituency due to his dual citizenship status. Tribunal judge Adnan Al-Karim Memon told Baig to submit an affidavit if he had renounced his dual citizenship status. “If the affidavit is found to be false, then after the election, the victory will be annulled,” the tribunal said.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC), Abbottabad Circuit bench, upheld Senator Azam Khan Swati’s disqualification from contesting elections announced earlier by the NA-15 returning officer.

Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel headed the PHC’s regional election tribunal. He heard arguments of Senator Azam Khan Swati’s counsel Sardar Basharat Advocate and Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar’s counsel Jehangir Jadoon and turned down the plea. He upheld PTI leader Swati’s disqualification from contesting the election from NA-15 Mansehra-II.

“We are going to challenge Swati’s disqualification at the PHC divisional bench and are optimistic of justice in this case,” Sardar Basharat Advocate said. He said the PTI leaders were also present in the court during the hearing of disqualification, and Nawaz Sharif’s cases.

Basharat is also a lawyer in Azam Swati’s petition seeking PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification. He said the regional election tribunal also heard that case and fixed January 8 for the next hearing. He said the judge remarked that the apex court was hearing Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility and the court was waiting for the outcome of the case.

The PHC election tribunal issued a notice to PMLN Quaid Nawaz Sharif on the petition filed by Azam Swati. The lawyer told the tribunal that Nawaz Sharif was disqualified for life by the apex court in the Panama case and his nomination papers should be rejected.

Advocate Saqib Khan Lughmani confirmed that the PHC regional election tribunal summoned the petitioner over the disqualification of Jamaat-e-Islami aspirant from NA-40 Bukhtar Khan. “Bukhtar Khan is yet to complete his two-year term after his retirement from government service and a local voter Faizan Babar moved the tribunal challenging his eligibility for contesting elections,” Lughmani said.

Separately, Justice Risal Hasan Syed of the Lahore High Court Appellate Tribunal directed the returning officer (RO) to file a reply to an appeal filed against the approval of Maryam Nawaz’s papers from NA-119 constituency. The tribunal also summoned the RO along with relevant records on Saturday against the rejection of nomination papers of PTI activist Sanam Javed in NA-119 and PP-150.

While hearing another appeal, Justice Risal Hasan annulled the RO’s decision and allowed PTI candidate Usama Ahmad Mela to contest the election. He also annulled the RO’s decision and allowed another PTI leader Malik Nadeem Abbas Bara to contest the election from PP-167 Lahore.

Also, the same appellate tribunal heard an appeal against the approval of the nomination papers of PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif from Lahore. It was submitted that Nawaz Sharif was declared disqualified for life by the Supreme Court, but the RO approved his nomination papers illegally.

Justice Risal Hasan issued a notice to the RO on appeals of the PTI’s Jamshed Cheema and Musarrat Cheema against the rejection of nomination papers and called for records on January 7. He also sought a reply from the RO on the rejection of the nomination papers of Sardar Khurram Latif Khosa from NA-122 Lahore.

Justice Asjad Javed Ghurral of the LHC appellate tribunal annulled the RO’s decision and allowed PTI candidate Ansar Haral to contest the election from Kot Momin. Hearing another appeal, the same appellate tribunal annulled the RO’s decision and allowed Chaudhry Sohail Akhtar Gujjar of the PTI from Bhalwal to contest the election.

Justice Asjad Ghurral also accepted an appeal of the PTI’s former Toba Tek Singh district president Dr Waheed Akbar against the rejection of his nomination papers for PP-121 Toba Tek Singh constituency. He allowed him to contest the election.

The hearing of appeals against the decisions of returning officers in two election tribunals established at the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court heard 70 appeals and approved 13, including those of former governor Ghulam Mustafa Khar and his wife, and allowed them to contest the election. Similarly, the ET dismissed the appeals of seven candidates and did not allow them to contest the election. The appellate tribunal allowed 13 candidates to contest the election after hearing the arguments of lawyers. The candidates who were allowed to contest the polls included Osama Gujjar from PP-282, Imran Shaukat from NA-152 and PP-221, Zahid Iqbal, Tahir Iqbal from NA-158 Vehari, Adil Saeed Chaudhry from Chichawatni PP-204, Muhammad Ali Langriyal, Syed Dost Muhammad and Malik Muhammad from NA-157, Waqas Muhammad Adnan from PP-213, Adnan Ashfaq from PP-289 DG Khan, Ghulam Mustafa Khar and his wife Awnia from NA-180 Kot Addu. Appellate Tribunal judge Ali Zia Bajwa accepted the appeal of Ghulam Mustafa Khar and declared him eligible to contest the election.

Similarly, Chaudhry Akhtar Maqbool was allowed to contest elections from Kror Lal Eisan. Appeals of Zahid Iqbal and Tahir Iqbal from PP-234 were rejected while the nomination papers of these two candidates were approved for the National Assembly constituency. Similarly, the appeals of Manwar Masih, Abid Mehmood, Sulaiman Bhabha, Sajawal Aslam, and Shahbaz Ahmed were also discharged. Appellate Tribunal Judge Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard 23 appeals while Appellate Tribunal Judge Ali Zia Bajwa heard 47 appeals. As many as 219 appeals were filed against the decisions of ROs with the appellate tribunals of the Multan bench. Candidates from various districts of Pakpattan, Bhakkar Sahiwal, Vehari, Lodhran, Rajanpur Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan and Layyah, Chichawatni had filed the appeals. The election tribunal will issue orders on these filed appeals by January 10.

Also, the election tribunal upheld the RO’s decision and rejected the nomination papers of Naeem Ibrahim, former MPA of the PTI, for NA-140 and PP-196 constituencies. He is currently incarcerated in the Sahiwal jail for one month under 3-MPO.