NA-120: SC to hear petition against Kulsoom Nawaz’s candidature

ISLAMABAD (Monitoring Desk): The Supreme Court on Saturday accepted a petition against the candidature of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s for hearing.

PPP candidate Faisal Mir submitted the petition in the apex court, with Kulsoom Nawaz, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and others made as respondents.

He added in the petition that the PML-N candidate failed to submit full details of her tax returns and statements of assets and liabilities. The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidates had challenged Kulsoom’s nomination papers.

PAT and PTI had said the name of a disqualified individual’s party could not be used in the election and her UAE Iqama (work permit) was not affixed with documents. The returning officer had approved the nomination papers of Kulsoom Nawaz, PTI candidate Yasmin Rashid and PPP candidate Faisal Mir for the NA-120 by-election.

The reservations raised by the opposition parties were rejected by the RO. He had said the objections by the petitioners were rejected after thoroughly listening to arguments. Daughter of Kulsoom Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz, is handling the NA-120 campaign while Kulsoom Nawaz undergoes treatment for lymphoma in London.

The by-election on the seat left vacant after Sharif’s disqualification by the Supreme Court on July 28, will be held on September 17. A total of 44 candidates will contest the NA-120 by-poll.

In the 2013 General Elections, Nawaz won the seat by a substantial margin, defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Yasmin Rashid — who will be contesting for the seat this time around too.