ECP tribunals to hear Senate candidates’ appeals

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday constituted tribunals to hear appeals of candidates for the Senate election, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The tribunals will listen to the objections of candidates to the returning officers’ decisions. They will hear the appeals against the acceptance or rejection of their nomination papers.

Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Umer Farooq will head the single-member tribunal formed to dispose of cases of candidates from the federal capital.

ECP summons Hafeez Sheikh on 18th

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday summoned PTI and PDM candidates from Islamabad Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, respectively, for scrutiny of their nomination papers on Thursday (February 18).

Meanwhile, sources have told 24News TV channel that returning officers have started receiving record of the candidates from NAB, FBR and FIA and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on the basis of which they would assess the candidates’ nomination papers.

Pervaiz Rashid asked to clarify his position

The ECP has asked PML-N’s Pervaiz Rashid to appear on February 18 before it to respond to the objections raised by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Zainab Umair on Wednesday against the nomination papers he had filed for the Senate elections.

The party has pointed out that the PML-N candidate had applied for the general seat, but his affidavit bore the word technocrat, instead of general. And since he had lied in his nomination papers, he be declared unfit to run for Senate elections, read the application.

Besides that the PTI has argued that Rashid did not attach required documents with his papers, on the basis of which his papers be rejected. “PML-N candidate is also a defaulter of Parliament Lodges’ bills, and since he has also hit out at state institutions in his speeches, he is not eligible for a seat in the upper House of Parliament under Article 63 of the constitution,” the party says in its petition.

Furthermore, nobody has ever challenged Justice (r) Amir Raza’s inquiry report. “Pervaiz Rashid has also not stated the facts in his income tax returns,” PTI’s Zainab Umair argues.

Scrutiny of papers continues in Lahore

The ECP Lahore on Wednesday accepted the nomination papers of Jamshed Iqbal Cheema as an independent candidate while that of Dr Zarqa as a PTI candidate.

Similarly, Pakistan People’s Party’s Azeemul Haq’s nomination papers were also accepted while that of PML-N’s Azam Nazir Tarar were linked to issuance of party ticket to him.

Petition filed for disqualification of Punjab law minister

An application was filed in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday, seeking disqualification of Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja.

Rana Muhammad Aslam Khan, the petitioner, has requested the ECP that since Basharat’s affidavit filed before 2018 general elections did not bear his signatures, therefore the notification for his election victory be suspended on the basis of his incomplete nomination papers.

The applicant reminded the ECP that the Supreme Court, in its June 2018 decision, had declared an affidavit an important component of nomination papers, and that an affidavit without signatures had no legal status.