F.P. Report
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s nomination papers were rejected for a National Assembly constituency from Punjab’s capital and his home city, Mianwali, officials of the provincial election commission confirmed Saturday.
The former prime minister had filed his nomination papers from Lahore’s NA-122 and Mianwali’s NA-89 constituencies ahead of the upcoming polls slated for February 8, 2024, while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s papers have been accepted for NA-130 in Lahore.
The development comes as a major blow to the party whose leadership is facing a plethora of cases — especially pertaining to the May 9 riots — with senior leaders, including Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others, behind bars. “The PTI founder has been convicted,” the returning officer (RO) assigned to scrutinise the nomination papers of the NA-122 constituency said, explaining the basis of the decision, dealing a blow to the PTI ahead of the polls.
The objections, raised by PML-N’s Mian Naseer, had referred to Khan’s five-year disqualification in the Toshakhana case wherein the electoral body had found him guilty of corrupt practices under Section 167 of the Elections Act, 2017. “PTI founder’s proposer and seconder do not belong from NA-122,” the objection added.
From Toshakhana’s disqualification to having an illegitimate daughter and defaulting on Rs3.6 million social security funds, multiple objections were raised on Khan’s nomination papers filed from his NA-89 Mianwali stronghold — a constituency which he has won previous elections from. Concurring with the objections, the returning officer rejected the former prime minister’s nomination papers Separately, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) also rejected PTI Vice Chairman Qureshi’s nomination papers from Multan’s NA-150, NA-151, PP-218, and Tharparkar’s NA-214.
Meanwhile, former federal minister and PTI leader Hammad Azhar’s nomination papers were rejected from PP-172. However, all is not lost for the PTI founder and his associates as they can appeal against the rejection of their nomination papers by January 3, which will be decided upon by the Appellate Tribunal by January 10.
The electoral body will publish the revised list of candidates on January 11. With the nomination papers of Azam Swati and Zulfi Bukhari also rejected earlier in the day, the party is facing legal and political challenges on multiple fronts. Apart from hundreds of Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO) notifications issued as part of a nationwide crackdown against workers and leaders in relation to their alleged involvement in May 9 incidents — triggered after Khan’s arrest in a graft case and which saw military installations being vandalised — the former ruling party is also at risk of losing its electoral symbol “bat” altogether.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan vehemently denounced the politically motivated rejection of nomination papers of PTI leadership and the ongoing spree of abduction and unlawful detention of PTI leaders and supporters, adding that the forces of status quo did not have the courage to face PTI in a free and fair election; hence they were resorting to these shameful tactics.
PTI Secretary General warned that if this pre-poll rigging continued unabated, the transparency of election process is and will be called into question, which would not only further grow the political instability in the country but it would also further erode the national cohesion. Reacting to the rejecting of nomination papers of PTI’s candidates, Omar Ayub strongly condemned the politically motivated rejection of nomination papers of Murad Saeed, Sahibzada Sighbatullah, Dr. Amjad Khan, Fazal Hakim Khan, Mian Sharafat and Salim-ur-Rahman along others.
“Had already predicted that ROs will reject PTI candidates’ nomination papers on flimsy grounds. More rejections of PTI candidates’ nomination papers by under pressure ROs are expected today. These ROs ‘software’ has been duly ‘updated’,” he added.
PTI Secretary General make it clear that the forces of status quo represented by parties like PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, MQM cannot face PTI in a free and fair election and are resorting to these tactics. “These parties should have the courage to contest against PTI in a free and fair election so that a government emerges as per the will of the people that can steer the country out of its current nightmare,” he said.
However, Omar feared that if this pre-poll rigging continues unabated, the transparency of election process is and will be called into question, adding that political instability will grow exponentially after a rigged election, and national cohesion will further deteriorate.
Reacting to Umar Dar’s abduction, PTI Secretary General strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of Umar Dar, adding that Umar Dar has been abducted from Lahore by unknown people.
