Nawaz cleared to contest NA seat from Mansehra

PESHAWAR/MANSEHRA/SIALKOT: The Abbottabad Circuit Bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday set aside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) objections raised against the eligibility of PMLN leader Nawaz Sharif to contest the February 8 elections from NA-15.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) tribunal allowed Mrs Rehana Imtaz Dar to contest the election from NA-71 (Sialkot-2) and PP-46 (Sialkot-3) and the election tribunals of Peshawar High Court allowed PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi, Shandana Gulzar and others to contest elections.

The Abbottabad Circuit Bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) set aside the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) objections raised against PMLN Quaid Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility to contest the February 8 elections from NA-15.

PTI leader Senator Azam Khan Swati had challenged Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility to contest the elections under Section 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. The PHC’s Regional Election Tribunal, headed by Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel, heard the plea.

Swati’s counsel, Sardar Basharat Advocate, didn’t stress his objections on Nawaz Sharif as the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ended his lifetime disqualification by a majority of 6-1 on Monday. “Our case is decided by the tribunal in light of judgment announced by Supreme Court of Pakistan in the life term disqualification case under article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution,” Sardar Basharat Advocate said.

He said that their plea was based on the same sections of the Constitution under which the Supreme Court of Pakistan had barred Nawaz Sharif from holding any public office or running for polls in his entire life in the Panama case in 2017.

Basharat said that PHC’s regional election tribunal had upheld his client Senator Azam Khan Swati’s disqualification ordered by returning officer NA-15 last month. “We are going to challenge Swati’s disqualification at the Divisional bench of PHC,” he added.

PMLN and PTI leaders were present at the PHC Abbottabad circuit bench during the court proceedings. Jehangir Jadoon represented Nawaz Sharif as counsel in the cases.

The nomination papers of Shehryar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar were cleared by the respective PHC’s election tribunals.

Justice Shakeel Ahmad of the Peshawar High Court heard the appeal of Shandana Gulzar. Counsel for the petitioner told the court that his client was a candidate for the general elections, who had fulfilled all the requirements and rules. However, he pleaded that the returning officer had rejected her credentials without any logic. The court, after hearing the arguments, accepted the appeal and allowed her to contest polls.

Similarly, Justice SM Attique Shah heard the appeal of PTI leader and former minister Shehryar Afridi. Sher Afzal Marwat, counsel for the petitioner, informed the court that his client was contesting elections from NA-35 and PK-92 in Kohat but the RO had rejected his nomination papers for a case registered against him by the Anti-Corruption Department. He said that the petitioner had not mentioned the case in his nomination papers because he did not know about it.

The court accepted the appeal and allowed Shehryar Afridi to contest the polls. Also, a tribunal in Mingora cleared Shahzada Sikandarul Mulk to contest the election for PK-2.

Meanwhile, the Election Tribunal, Hazara, also dismissed the objection against the acceptance of nomination papers of former provincial minister and PTI leader Yousuf Ayub Khan declaring his candidature as valid.

Asad Usman, a candidate for NA-18, Haripur, and Bilal Khan, a candidate for PK-46, Haripur, had challenged the qualification of Yousuf Ayub Khan before the returning officer during the scrutiny process and sought rejection of his nomination papers. They had pointed out that he had concealed his foreign employment in Dubai and was disqualified for life under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. The returning officer for NA-18, Humair Mehmood dismissed their objection and declared his candidature valid by accepting his papers.

However, Asad Usman and Bilal Khan again moved the Election Tribunal Hazara against the decision of RO praying for the rejection of Yousuf’s papers. The election tribunal headed by Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel dismissed the appeal and maintained the decision of the returning officer.

Also, the Lahore High Court (LHC) tribunal allowed Mrs Rehana Imtaz Dar to contest the election from NA-71 (Sialkot-2) and PP-46 (Sialkot-3) by setting aside the earlier decision of the concerning returning officer (RO).

Mrs Rehana Dar, the mother of local PTI leader Usman Dar, had announced to contest the election against local PMLN stalwart Khawaja Muhammad Asif after her son had announced to stay away from politics at a press conference a few months ago. She had filed an appeal in the LHC after the RO had rejected her nomination papers a few days back. Justice Shakeel of the LHC heard her appeal and gave a verdict in her favour.

Rehana Dar thanked the judiciary for removing unlawful hurdles in her way to fight the election. She has also sought justice for her son Umar Dar, who was declared in the custody of Sialkot police earlier on Tuesday.