F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has allowed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidates Umar Aslam and Tahir Sadiq to contest the forthcoming elections, declaring that absconders cannot be barred from vying for the elections.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah heard the appeal of PTI candidate Umar Aslam on Friday against the rejection of his nomination papers.
His nomination papers were rejected by the tribunal on account of his being an absconder in cases related to the May 9 riots.
During the hearing today, the Supreme Court said that nobody could be stopped from contesting elections on the basis of being a fugitive.
The court observed that contesting polls is a fundamental right of a citizen.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asked the Election Commission’s lawyer to show the court where it has been written that an absconder could not run for election.
Justice Athar Minallah remarked that people would decide about this in the elections.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also accepted the appeal of PTI leader retired Major Tahir Sadiq against the rejection of his nomination papers by the Lahore High Court.
The apex court has allowed PTI’s Mr Sadiq to run for the polls.
He is contesting polls as an independent candidate from NA 49 Attock.
The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of PTI candidate Muhammad Arif Abbasi while upholding the decision of the high court.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa heard Abbasi’s appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers from PP 19.
The Supreme Court said that the petitioner did not resort to any court to obtain bail in two criminal cases registered against him. The court observed that he did not even mention these cases in his nomination papers. When the returning officer asked the candidate about the property of his son in London, he did not answer.
The petitioner’s lawyer Abdul Razzaq said that his client had informed the RO about the cases in his affidavit.
Chief Justice Isa remarked ‘if you are not ready to speak the truth, what can we do?’
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar asked why the petitioner did not secure bail from the trial court in the cases.
The chief justice said that the court yesterday allowed a candidate whose papers were rejected to contest polls because he had got bail.
Saying this, the court rejected Abbasi’s appeal and upheld the decision of the high court to reject his nomination papers.
