Daily Times

On Thursday, the Returning Officer NA-15 Mansehra approved the nomination papers of former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by dismissing objections raised by PTI leader Azam Khan Swati.

Nawaz Sharif got his candidacy for NA-15 through representatives Captain (R) Muhammad Safdar and Sardar Muhammad Yousaf. The scrutiny process, held on Thursday, involved arguments from opposition candidates, legal representatives and Barrister Jahangir Khan Jadoon presenting evidence in favour of Nawaz Sharif.

Following a thorough review, the Returning Officer rejected objections, allowing Nawaz Sharif to contest the elections from NA-15 Mansehra.

On Thursday, the returning officer (RO) for NA-127 reserved a decision on the nomination papers of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The RO heard detailed arguments from both sides and granted Bilawal Bhutto’s counsel time to submit a written reply until today [Friday].

Senior Advocates Irfan Qadir and Iftikhar Shahid represented Bilawal during the scrutiny process, whereas the PPP leaders Faisal Mir and Shahida Jabeen were also in attendance. A citizen, Muhammad Ayaz, had filed an objection against Bilawal Bhutto’s nomination papers, stating that Bilawal Bhutto, in his papers for NA-127, pledged allegiance to Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP). In contrast, he was chairman of the PPP. He said that both were distinct political parties with separate election symbols. They were also different. He further submitted that Bilawal Bhutto was the chairman of PPP, and Asif Zardari was the president of PPPP.

He argued that per the Election Act 2017, a person could be a member of one party at a time. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s nomination papers as a PPPP candidate were being filed against the Election Act, he added. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) admitted before the returning officer (RO) on Thursday that the seconder of PTI founder Imran Khan belonged to another constituency. The party claimed that it occurred due to delimitations and not bad intentions. However, after hearing detailed arguments from both sides, the RO reserved the decision, which is now expected on December 30.

The RO heard PML-N’s application, raising objections over the nomination papers submitted by the former premier for the constituency NA-122 Lahore.

The RO’s room was packed with PTI’s lawyers. Imran’s counsels, Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique and Rai Muhammad Ali reiterated that the objections are not maintainable and need to be rejected.

On the other hand, the argument of counsel for objector, PML-N’s former MPA and current candidate for provincial assembly, Mian Naseer, revolved around how a convicted person could be allowed to contest elections. He implored the RO that candidate Imran’s sentence was suspended while his disqualification still exists. He asked if Imran’s counsel could produce a copy of any order by the apex court regarding their appeal, which is pending in the Toshakhana case, and further asked if PTI’s counsel could produce the same for the suspension of Imran’s disqualification. Siddique argued that Imran had not been disqualified under Articles 62 and 63, and there is a proper procedure enshrined in the Constitution regarding disqualification. When asked by the RO whether any court had suspended the disqualification, Siddiqui said they would provide details ‘shortly’.

On the objection whether Imran’s seconder belonged to the relevant constituency, Ali argued that the seconder and proposer belonged to NA-122 and the delimitation of the constituency was changed post-December 15. By that date, the ECP had already announced the election schedule. “It is binding upon the ECP not to delimit any constituency before four months of the elections.