Daily Times

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has on Saturday approved Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ishaq Dar’s appeal challenging rejection of nomination papers for Senate elections.

According to details, LHC appellate tribunal approved Dar’s appeal against rejection of nomination papers, while the court also allowed him to contest the upcoming Senate elections.

During hearing of the Dar’s appeal, Advocate Salman Aslam argued that Dar’s nomination papers were rejected on basis of submitting the same account details for a general and technocrat seat. He added that the returning officer rejected the documents without taking into consideration arguments of Dar’s lawyer.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counsel Anees Hashmi, arguing against Dar’s appeal, said that the former finance minister submitted the same account details for expenditure while contesting for both seats, while according to the Election law, a separate submission of nomination papers and bank account details are necessary to contest Senate elections for two different seats.

The tribunal also allowed PML-N leaders Sadia Abbasi, Nuzhat Abbas and Hafiz Abdul Kareem to contest the elections.

Ishaq Dar challenged the rejection of his nomination papers for Senate seat on Thursday. The appeal was filed in the Lahore High Court’s appellate tribunal, according to details.

Dar has questioned the returning officer’s call to reject nomination papers contrary to the facts. To this, Dar has contested his stance that all legal requirements for the papers were fulfilled. His appeal demands the court to annul the action of the returning officer.

Earlier, the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had challenged the nomination papers of Dar, pointing out to the fact that Dar was declared absconder in the corruption reference against him heard by NAB court.

The ECP ruled that Dar is ineligible to contest in the Senate elections since there is a pending corruption case present against him in the accountability court.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had nominated Ishaq Dar as its Senate candidate for another three-year term, with nine of the PML-N Senators due to retire next month after the completion of their terms.