BAHAWALPUR/MULTAN/KARACHI: While PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi has already been given permission to contest election from Thar (NA-214), his prospect to contest elections from his stronghold Multan became bleak on Saturday when an appellate tribunal turned down his appeals against the rejection of nomination papers in three constituencies of south Punjab.

The election tribunal of Lahore High Court’s Multan bench has upheld the decisions of returning officers who had rejected his nomination papers for two National Assembly constituencies (NA-150 and NA-151) and one Punjab Assembly seat (PP-218) in Multan.

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The returning officer stated that a no-dues certificate was missing from the nomination papers of Mr Qureshi and his son Zain Qureshi, leading to their rejection.

The nomination papers of his daughter Mehrbano and son Zain from NA-151 were also rejected. However, some media reports claim the appeals of siblings have been accepted, enabling them to contest elections in Multan.

Earlier on Friday, the Sindh High Court’s election appellate tribunal accepted the appeals of Mr Qureshi, Mr Zain and PTI Sindh chapter president Haleem Adil Sheikh against the rejection of their candidatures for the upcoming polls from NA-214 constituency and NA-238 (Karachi-East IV).

Tribunal allows President Alvi’s son to contest polls

Alvi’s son

An election tribunal in Sindh allowed an appeal filed by President Arif Alvi’s son Awab Alvi against the decision of a returning officer who had rejected his nomination papers for NA-241(Karachi South-III) seat.

The appellant through his lawyer Haider Waheed had filed the appeal, arguing that the RO had rejected his candidature on the alleged grounds that he misused the office of President of Pakistan by getting undue favour and influence in contracting a private business deal with Rs4.4 billion at Governor’s House in the presence of President Alvi, father of the appellant.

The counsel for the appellant argued that no material had been placed on record by the objector in support of his stance and maintained that the RO while passing the order had merely reproduced the baseless allegations without reference to any material.

However, the lawyer for objector as well as federal and provincial law officers supported the RO’s decision, asserting that there was no illegality in it.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Arshad Hussain Khan of Sindh High Court, in its order said the objector has raised dispute questions of fact which cannot be decided without leading evidence and such exercise could not be done into either before RO or in the instant proceedings.

“As a prima facie case is demonstrated, the appellant ought not to be divested of his fundamental right to contest the forthcoming election and his nomination papers may be accepted subject to any challenge being subsequently brought to bear against him on ground of disqualification, non-disclosure or any other valid basis for objection in the event that he is successful in being elected,” it added.

Thereafter, the tribunal set aside the RO’s order and allowed the appellant to contest the elections.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2024