Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: An election tribunal on Wednesday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Spokesperson Fawad Chauhdry’s nomination papers to contest the upcoming general elections from his home constituency, NA-67 Jhelum, while PTI chief Imran Khan’s nomination papers for NA-53–that had earlier been rejected–were approved.

The tribunal that gave the verdict against Chaudhry was hearing an appeal lodged by the Justice and Democratic Party’s leader Fakhar Abbas Kazmi, who claimed that Fawad had not paid agricultural tax. The appeal also claimed that Fawad Chaudhry’s identity card carried the name ‘Fawad Ahmad’.

Imran Khan’s nomination papers for NA-53, meanwhile, had been rejected after the PTI supremo had failed to fill clause N in his papers.

The clause in question asks prospective candidates what contributions they made to their respective constituencies in their previous tenure as lawmakers.

Imran appeared before the Islamabad election tribunal on Wednesday morning to fill in the N clause, in which he stated that he had established Shaukat Khanum Hospital and Namal University, while he had made citizens ‘aware’ of their constitutional rights.

Returning Officer (RO), Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Adnan Khan, had rejected Imran Khan’s nomination papers last week, along with the papers of a host of political stalwarts such as Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Ayesha Gulalai, all of whom had failed to fill clause N of their nomination papers.

Imran Khan, meanwhile, has been summoned before an election tribunal in Peshawar today after he failed to appear before the tribunal yesterday for the hearing of an appeal against his nomination papers for NA-35, Bannu.