
File picture of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan (Reuters)
Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday challenged the rejection of his nomination papers for 2 Nationwide Meeting seats in Punjab within the run-up to the February 8 polls within the Lahore Excessive Court docket’s tribunal.
The returning officer (RO) Lahore on Saturday rejected the nomination papers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo for 2 Nationwide Meeting seats in Lahore and Mianwali districts of Punjab on “ethical grounds and being convicted within the Toshakhana (nationwide treasury presents) corruption case.”
On Wednesday, Khan, by his counsels, challenged the RO’s determination to reject his nomination papers for NA-122 Lahore and NA-89 Mianwali contending the conviction of the Toshakhana case has no hyperlink along with his disqualification beneath Article 62 (1)(f) of the Structure, due to this fact, his nomination papers can’t be rejected.
Khan mentioned the RO had additionally raised objections on his proposers and seconders not belonging to the constituencies he’s contesting from.
“Each the proposers and seconders belong to NA-122 and NA-89 (and) this objection of the ROs maintain no floor,” Khan mentioned and pleaded earlier than the court docket to put aside the RO’s determination and permit him to contest the February 8 polls from those self same two constituencies.
Khan, 71, has been languishing in Adiala jail beneath completely different instances since August 2023. Wednesday was the final date to problem the ROs’ selections.
The election physique had rejected nomination papers of 90 per cent of necessary PTI leaders on what the social gathering described as “flimsy grounds,” principally in Punjab.
Khan’s social gathering mentioned greater than 3,200 candidates’ nomination papers, principally of PTI, had been rejected. Virtually all such candidates have challenged the ROs’ selections within the tribunals of the excessive court docket.
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The PTI has alleged that the ROs, who’re bureaucrats, have en mass rejected the nomination papers of the PTI leaders from throughout the nation apparently on the course of the ‘army institution’.