Daily Times

The election tribunal upheld the rejection of former prime minister Imran Khan’s nomination papers for Lahore’s NA-122 and PS 89 of Mianwali, resulting in his exclusion from the upcoming general elections. Justice Tariq Nadeem, presiding over the election tribunal at the Lahore High Court, dismissed the appeal pertaining to the rejection of PTI founder Imran Khan’s papers for NA-122. The tribunal upheld the returning officer’s (RO) decision, which stated that the candidate’s endorser did not belong to the constituency. Similarly, Judge Chaudhry Abdul Aziz dismissed Imran’s appeal for NA-89, supporting the RO’s objections. The tribunal noted that Imran’s conviction in the Toshakhana case makes him ineligible to contest the election, emphasising that the length of the sentence is irrelevant till a sentence is in field. Following the decisions, Imran’s counsel, Advocate Umair Niazi, said he intended to challenge them in the high court’s in front of a larger bench. Meanwhile, an appellate tribunal, while announcing its verdict reserved a day earlier, rejected appeals against the acceptance of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers from NA-130, Lahore. Similarly, an appeal filed against the acceptance of nomination papers filed by Nawaz’s daughter Maryam for NA-119 (Lahore) was also rejected. Appellant Nadeem Altaf Khan had challenged the acceptance of Maryam’s candidature, accusing her of not disclosing complete details of her properties. On Tuesday, the election appellate tribunal in Abbottabad had set aside PTI’s objections raised on Nawaz’s eligibility to contest elections from NA-15. The tribunal judge, Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel, cleared the PML-N supreme leader for polls after hearing arguments.