Qureshi, Haleem Adil allowed to contest elections

F.P. Report

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court’s (SHC) election appellate tribunal on Friday accepted the appeals of PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his son Zain and party provincial president Haleem Adil Sheikh against the rejection of their candidatures for the upcoming polls.

Qureshi and his son had contested the rejection of their nomination papers by the returning officers (ROs) from the NA-214 constituency (Tharparkar-I) while Sheikh had done the same for NA-238 (Karachi-East IV). The development comes just a day after Sheikh was granted bail by Malir judicial magistrate Saima Katto in a case related to the May 9 violence. A day before that, he was indicted in a case linked to rioting at city courts in Karachi.

The appeal acceptance also follows that of PTI Central Vice President Firdous Shamim Naqvi, who had submitted his nomination papers from Karachi’s NA-236. The RO had objected to Qureshi and Zain’s candidature for not providing details of their assets, source of income and paid taxes.

Meanwhile, Sheikh’s papers had been rejected for failing to “disclose details of clearance from the police/anti-corruption” and not providing the No Dues Certificate from the provincial assembly, as per the last hearing’s order. The election tribunal had issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and others on the PTI leaders’ appeals on Wednesday.

The appeals had been filed through Advocate Ali Tahir, who appeared before the tribunal today and confirmed to Dawn.com that his clients were allowed to contest the polls. Justice Adnanul Karim Memon presided over the hearing during which he heard the arguments of the parties concerned, including the ECP. He subsequently set aside the objections raised by the ROs, declaring them illegal, and directing the officials to accept the PTI leaders’ nomination papers.

Separately, the appellate tribunal also accepted the appeals of PTI candidate Arsalan Khalid and the PPP’s Mirza Ikhtiar Baig from NA-241 (Karachi South-III).

Meanwhile, the election appellate tribunal of Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench issued notices on the appeals of former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and his wife, Hiba, against the rejection of their nomination papers from NA-61 (Jhelum-II). Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz presided over the hearing today.

The tribunal sought details from the Federal Investigation Agency of Fawad’s and Hiba’s travels abroad as well as bank account details. Hearings on both appeals were adjourned till tomorrow. Fawad had parted ways with the PTI soon after a countrywide crackdown on the party as initiated after the May 9 riots sparked by its chairman Imran Khan’s arrest.

Although the ex-minister had said at the time that he was “taking a break from politics”, he was seen at the launch ceremony of the Jahangir Khan Tareen-led Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) in June. However, Fawad has kept quiet on whether he is officially a part of the IPP, which has been joined by several PTI leaders in the aftermath of May 9. Separately, a Rawalpindi election appellate tribunal headed by Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf accepted PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari’s appeal, allowing him to contest polls from Attock. His candidature from NA-50 (Attock-II) had been rejected.