Daily Times

An election appellate tribunal on Thursday granting Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Shiekh Rashid permission to contest the election declared RO’s verdict null and void.

Earlier, the RO rejected Sheikh Rashid’s nomination papers for the Rawalpindi National Assembly constituency NA-56, as well as his nephew Rashid Shafique’s papers for NA-57.

Upon this, Mr Rashid announced he would move the c ourt against the rejection of his nomination papers.

In a video message released here, the former interior minister stated that the returning officer called him to the commissioner’s office on half an hour’s notice, scrutinised his nomination papers and made allegations that he did not pay for staying at the Murree rest-house. According to Rashid, he has never stayed at the rest-house. But he said that he was even ready to pay for it.

RO Rawalpindi, Nazarat Ali, furnished Rashid with copies of objections on his nomination papers. “Sheikh Rashid omitted complete details of his assets,” objected the RO. “The value of his declared assets does not align with his investments,” the RO noted.

Additionally, “He failed to declare income from 2021 to 2023 in the asset papers,” the RO added. One objection pointed out that Rashid was in default of the forest department’s Murree rest house bill. He stayed at the rest house from September 4 to 9 in 2022 without settling charges, according to the objection. “There are arrears amounting to 3,22,000 payable against him to the government,” another objection highlighted.