Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislator Dr Arif Alvi, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, who has been fielded by the grand opposition alliance, submitted their nomination papers for the presidential election on Monday, a private TV channel reported.

The opposition parties minus PPP have decided to field the JUI-F chief for the post of the president as the deadlock persisted over the nomination of Aitzaz Ahsan as consensus candidate for the post.

The three candidates submitted their nomination papers in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ahead of the expiry of the deadline at noon.

In the IHC, the PTI submitted four forms for those who proposed and seconded Alvi. Shibli Faraz, Sadaqat Abbasi, Farrukh Habib and Anwar-ul-Haq are among those who proposed and seconded the PTI candidate for the president’s slot. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri, Maleeka Bukhari and Amir Dogar’s forms were also filed.

Dr Khurram Sher Zaman and other PTI leaders submitted Alvi’s nomination papers in the SHC as well.

Senior PPP leaders, including Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Khursheed Shah, accompanied Aitzaz Ahsan to the IHC to submit his nomination papers.

Ahsan has been proposed by Shah and seconded by Rehman.

Meanwhile, Maulana Fazl, who has been fielded by the PML-N, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Awami National Party, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and the National Party, submitted his nomination papers in the IHC through his counsel. PML-N leader Ameer Muqam is Fazl’s covering candidate.

Speaking to media after submitting his nomination papers in the IHC, Aitzaz Ahsan said that if the opposition remained divided and fielded two candidates for the post of the country’s president, the ruling PTI would benefit. “PPP consulted other opposition parties before fielding my name for the post,” he said. “I was not present in the party meeting which decided to field my name as the presidential candidate,” he added.

Responding to PML-N leader Pervaiz Rashid’s reservations, the PPP leader said, “PML-N leaders clarified that this is Rashid’s personal opinion and not the party policy.” “I respect Rashid but feel that his demand is unnecessary,” he added.

The grand alliance of the opposition parties had met in Murree on Saturday to reach a consensus on a joint candidate for the slot. However, the PPP had rejected PML-N’s objections over Ahsan and decided to stick to its choice of candidate for the post. A meeting of leaders of both the parties held in the Parliament Lodges late Sunday evening also remained inconclusive.

The chief election commissioner will conduct scrutiny of the nomination papers in Islamabad on Wednesday (tomorrow) at 10am. Candidates will have until Thursday, August 30, to withdraw their nomination papers, after which the final list will be made public on the same day.

Polling for the presidential election will be held on September 4.

The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot.

Published in Daily Times, August 28^th 2018.