Daily Times

LAHORE: An appeal has on Friday been filed against the rejection of former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s nomination papers for Senate election in Lahore High Court (LHC), reported Daily Times.

The appeal has been filed by Suleman Aslam Butt Advocate and Justice Aminuddin Khan issued the notice to Returning Officer (RO) demanding an answer by tomorrow.

The applicant maintained that the papers were rejected against the facts as all the requirements for contesting the election had been fulfilled by Dar. Ishaq Dar’s appeal claims that his papers were rejected without him being given an opportunity to properly defend his case.

“The nomination papers were dismissed merely on the basis of allegations”, the appeal read, demanding the court to overturn the decision by the RO, declaring it void, and allow Dar to contest the Senate election.

On February 12, nomination papers of Ishaq Dar were rejected by the returning officer (RO) on objections filed by opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed. The RO had also rejected the nomination papers of Ishaq Dar on the basis of discrepancy found in his signatures.

The PTI leader had taken the plea that Ishaq Dar had been facing charges of corruption and money laundering and he had also been declared an absconder by an accountability court. He also challenged signatures of Dar in the nomination papers.

Ishaq Dar had challenged the decision of RO by stating that the RO had rejected his nomination papers without due diligence of the facts. He stated that the RO had failed to hold proper scrutiny of the nomination papers required under the Representation of Peoples Act, 1976.