HYDERABAD: The Returning Officer for PS-73 Jamshoro, Imran Ahmed on Wednesday asked former Sindh finance minister and Pakistan Peoples Party stalwart, Syed Murad Ali Shah to submit a certificate proving he has renounced his Canadian nationality.

The RO said this while accepting candidature of Shah for the upcoming by-elections. “Yes, I’ve accepted his [Murad Ali Shah’s] candidature today for Nov 29 by-elections on PS-73. However, I’ve asked him to submit the certificate issued by the foreign country of which he was a citizen. This certificate is to be submitted before me by November 11, 2014,” the RO said while talking to Dawn.com.

It is now perhaps the first time that elections would be supervised by the ECP directly, as the RO is the District Election Commissioner (DEC) Jamshoro.

Polling on PS-73 would be held on Nov 29. The by-poll was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after Murad Shah’s maternal uncle Abdul Nabi Shah resigned from the seat to enable his nephew to contest, after the former claimed he has renounced his Canadian nationality.

“I have renounced my Canadian nationality and a certificate in this regard was issued by the Canadian government on July 18, 2013,” Murad Shah, son of former CM Syed Abdullah Shah, told Dawn.com.

Eight candidates have filed their papers for the by-election in PS-73. They included Murad Ali Shah, Habibullah Rind, Roshan Ali Buriro, Qasim Bozdar, Atta Mohammad, Ghulam Sarwar Qureshi, Abdul Nabi Shah and Nisar Ahmed Lond. Election symbols to candidates would be allotted to contesting candidates next week.

Fighting tooth and nail

Shah, who is being tipped as the next chief minister Sindh, said that he was barred from contesting general elections by then Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in 2013 on the ground that unless he produces a certificate, he would be presumed to hold dual nationality.

Shah, then Sindh finance minister, had to resign in 2013 following the apex court’s ruling that ECP should obtain affidavits from parliamentarians regarding their dual nationalities.

In Sindh, besides Shah, MQM’s Raza Haroon and Haider Abbas Rizvi were also hit by the bar under dual nationality law.

After resigning from the Sindh Assembly, he was appointed as adviser to Sindh chief minister on finance.

He again contested by-elections from the same seat and won on Feb 18, 2013, but shortly afterwards the assemblies were dissolved for May 11, 2013 polls.

Roshan Ali Buriro had moved an election tribunal against the RO’s order, allowing Shah to contest the Feb 18 polls.

The tribunal ruled in the appellant’s favour. Shah then challenged the election tribunal’s findings before the Sindh High Court which allowed him to contest the May 11,2013 polls.

His opponent Buriro then moved the Supreme Court against Sindh High Court’s order and resultantly, the apex court on May 2,2013 restrained him from contesting the elections, insisting that he must produce the certificate proving he has renounced his foreign citizenship.The RO for PS-73 on Wednesday accepted Shah’s form after scrutiny.

Buriro, who is again contesting as SUP candidate against him, submitted his objections before the RO claiming that Shah has not given-up his dual nationality as per apex court’s verdict and he also didn’t deposit amount towards financial benefits he had received as Sindh Assembly member.

“I was given a different time by the RO...Murad Shah’s scrutiny was held much earlier. It was done with malafide intention by the RO in spite of the fact that he is disqualified to contest under Article 63(1)(C). I’ll file an appeal against acceptance of his form,” said Buriro.

He said Shah is still availing official protocol even after resigning as adviser finance, while recalling that regional officer of ECP had also filed a reference against Murad Shah before a session court. The matter is now pending adjudication before the Sindh High Court.

However, the RO said that Buriro’s colleagues were present at the time of scrutiny, the schedule for which was displayed earlier.

"Another candidate Habibullah Rind was present during scrutiny proceedings," he said.

Rind, who received some 16,000 votes in Feb 18 by-polls, didn’t challenge Shah’s candidature today. He is being supported by a local alliance called Awami Ittehad formed by Liaquat Ali Jatoi, a former Sindh chief minister, in the by-polls.

“Rind is the main contestant against me and not Buriro. Rind was present during scrutiny but Buriro didn’t turn-up to raise objections. Alhamdolillah my form is accepted and I’ll now contest,” Shah stated.

He said that he had pleaded before the apex court that he has filed an application before the Canadian government to renounce his citizenship and it is for that government to issue a certificate to this effect.

“I was given relief on that ground by Sindh High Court last year but then CJP didn’t concur with high court’s findings and restrained me from contesting the May 11 poll,” he informed. He added that he stands acquitted in the reference and that it is now pending before the high court.

Commenting on the news that he is likely to be the next CM Sindh, Shah said: “It’s all over the media that I will be the next CM but I don’t know anything of the sort. It is for the party leadership to decide.”