HARIPUR/GHALANAI: The returning officer for PK-42, Haripur III, on Tuesday barred 13 out of 18 candidates from taking part in the upcoming general elections as their nomination papers were found incomplete.

Most of the contenders whose papers were rejected were charged for concealing assets and mandatory information regarding their nationality and criminal cases.

Those who were shunted out of the election race include former PTI MPA and now independent Faisal Zaman, former QWP MPA but now independent Gohar Nawaz Khan, former PPP MPA and now independent Dr Faiza Rasheed, PML-N’s Sahibzada Qasim Shah, PTI nominee Malik Tahir Iqbal, ANP’s Shaukat Mashwani, Malik Adeel, Ms Saima Khalid, Irshad Khan, Zahid Khan, Khanzeb, Shaukat Bilal, Rizwan Saeed Mughal.

Faiza Rasheed was accused of concealing assets, Gohar Nawaz of not submitting details of all criminal cases he was facing; Tahir Iqbal and Qasim Shah were found having dual nationality, while Faisal Zaman was carrying two CNICs. In Mohmand, the election commission accepted the nomination papers of all the 21 candidates for NA-42, tribal area-3 Mohmand. Returning officer Irfanullah Wazir said that as per the poll schedule, appeals against rejection or acceptance of nomination papers can be filed by June 22.

Candidates can withdraw their nomination papers by June 29 and the final list of candidates would be announced the same day.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2018