LAHORE: Three Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nominees for Senate polls were given another day to clear objections against them as the returning officer scrutinised candidatures of 19 out of 29 aspirants for the Upper House from Punjab province here on Wednesday.

Former information minister Pervaiz Rasheed was told that he was a defaulter of the Punjab House in Islamabad and his nomination would be accepted only after he cleared the dues.

Mr Rasheed says he had booked a room at the Punjab House only once and that he had paid for it.

Outgoing Senator Mushahidullah Khan could not appear in person, while acceptance of his son Afnan Ullah Khan’s nomination was also put off for Thursday (today) as FBR record showed that there was some problem with his tax return for the year 2016. He told the returning officer that he had secured a stay order against the FBR decision but the tax authority’s record was not endorsing this claim. He was given another day to settle the issue.

Minister issued notice for by-poll code breach

The returning officer accepted papers of Zahid Hamid, Saiful Malook Khokhar and Saud Majeed of the PML-N, and of Saifullah Nayzee, Aijaz Hussain Minhas, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and Zaheer Abbas of the PTI, Kamil Ali Agha of the PML-Q, and Azeemul Haq Minhas of the PPP for general seats.

Likewise, candidatures of Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and Muhammad Khan Madni (both belonging to the PTI) were also accepted but as independent candidates.

Nominations of PTI’s Ali Zafar and PML-N’s Azam Nazeer Tarar were accepted for the two seats reserved for technocrats/ulema.

Papers of PTI’s Dr Zarqa Suharwardi and PML-N’s Sairar Afzal Tarar were also accepted against two seats reserved for women.

Eleven aspirants, besides the three PML-N nominees facing objections to their nominations, will appear before the returning officer on Thursday (today). They are Ejaz Chaudhry, Irfan Siddiqui, Farhat Shahzadi, Neelam Irshad Sheikh, Atta Ullah Khan, Saadia Abbasi, Aon Abbas, Said Mir, Balighur Rehman, Ejaz Hussain Minhas and Robina Akhtar.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Minorities Ijaz Alam Augustine has been issued notice for violating code of conduct of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the by-polls for NA-75, Sialkot.

The notice issued by District Monitoring Officer Abdul Hameed on Wednesday says that the minister participated in a corner meeting of the PTI candidate Ali Asjad Malhi held at the residence of Rana Shafique Papa of Jamke Cheema Moutra, Daska.

The minister was directed to appear before the monitoring officer in person or through counsel on Thursday (today) to explain his position or face legal proceedings by the ECP under sub-section-4 of Section-234 of the Election Act, 2017.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2021