Daily Times

Lahore: As the process of scrutiny of nomination papers filed across the country began on Tuesday, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) declared that more than 100 candidates were found to be defaulters of bank loans.

The SBP was quoted in media reports as having declared the particulars submitted by these candidates as ‘extremely dubious’.

The list of names of ‘defaulters’ shared by the SBP with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) apparently include Pakistan Peoples Party leaders Hina Rabbani Khar and Mian Manzoor Wattoo.

Others in the list are Ahmed Shah Khagga (PP-193), Ghulam Ahmed Shah (PP-193), Asim Irshad Khan (NA-124), Ameer Ahmed Siyal (NA-116), Khalid Masood (NA-30), Abdul Sattar Bachani and Zulfiqar Bachani (both from NA-224), Ameer Waliuddin Chishti (NA-256), Ayaz Khan (NA-257) and Changez Khan (NA-258), Azhar Khokhar (NA-52), Zainab Ahsan (PP-109), Umar Farooq (PP-113), Mushtaq Ahmed (PP-136), Ali Asim Shah (PP-185), Muhammad Ali Tarkai (PK-46) and Chaudhry Shakeel Gulzar (PP-66).

Further, 1,514 candidates were found to be defaulters of the Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited. These included Murad Saeed (Rs14,000), Faisal Kareem Kundi (Rs21,000), Ejaz Chaudhry (Rs33,521) and Syed Zafar Ali Shah (Rs18,000).

The scrutiny of nomination papers will continue till June 19. After the process, appeals against papers could be filed until June 22. Decisions on these appeals would be taken on June 27. Candidates can withdraw their candidature by June 28 after, which a final list of candidates will be published. Election symbols will be allotted to candidates on the 29th.

According to ECP spokesman Altaf Ahmad Khan, particulars of 12,000 candidates have so far been sent to the National Accountability Bureau, Federal Bureau of Revenue, SBP and other relevant institutions – out of which 7,500 have been verified with the help of an online system.

Among those whose nomination papers were rejected on Tuesday were PPP’s Qadir Patel (NA-248 Karachi), former Balochistan home minister Sarfaraz Bugti, and Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri’s son Ghazain Marri.

Patel’s papers were rejected because his mis-declared the value of his 15-tola gold. The returning officer maintained that the applicant had mentioned Rs150,000 as the value of the gold.

Bugti’s nomination papers for PB-10 (Pishin) were rejected on his political opponents’ objection that he had not mentioned details of his assets.

In his statement to the media, Bugti expressed regret over the rejection of his nomination papers and announced to challenge the RO’s decision in the Balochistan High Court.

Marri’s papers for Kohlu’s PB-9 seat were rejected because the proposer and the person authorised by the candidate were not present during the scrutiny process to verify the documents.

Ghazain Marri, son of Marri tribe’s former chief Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, had returned to Pakistan after a 17-year-long self-exile in September last year.

He is a younger brother of PML-N leader Nawab Jhangez Marri and elder brother of Hyarbyar Marri, the chief of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Published in Daily Times, June 13^th 2018.