Daily Times

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is slated to commence the examination of nomination papers submitted by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday. In anticipation of potential objections, the party’s legal team is preparing to address any issues that may arise during this scrutiny, as reported by The News.

Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister, has filed his nomination papers to contest elections from both the Lahore and Mansehra constituencies. The party has tasked its legal team with vigilance, expecting objections to be raised against Sharif’s submissions.

According to reliable sources, lawyers from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have formulated strategies to challenge the nomination papers. They plan to reference the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict on April 12, 2018, under Article 62 (1) (F), which declared that disqualification under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution is a lifetime ban.

Simultaneously, there are indications that PML-N is gearing up to challenge the nomination papers of PTI founder Imran Khan later in the week. This decision is based on the ECP’s declaration disqualifying Khan from contesting polls for five years under the relevant constitutional article.

Nawaz Sharif, who returned to Pakistan in October following a four-year self-imposed exile, is actively leading the party’s election campaign, aspiring for a fourth term as the country’s chief executive. Despite having his sentences in Avenfield and Al Azizia references overturned by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) since his return, Nawaz faces the hurdle of the Supreme Court’s previous disqualification in the Panama Papers Case. To be eligible for the upcoming polls, he seeks the removal of the lifelong ban on holding any public office.