Bulletins 1200 13th September 2017

LAHORE: A three-judge larger bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday dismissed all petitions challenging the acceptance of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s nomination papers for the by-election in NA-120 constituency.

The bench comprising Justice Qazi Ameenuddin, Ubaidur Rehman Lodhi and Shahid Jameel rejected the petitions filed by Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate Faisal Mir, Pakistan Awami Tehreek leader Ishtiaq Chaudhry and two others.

Earlier, the bench reserved its verdict on the petitions after hearing arguments from the counsel for petitioners.

The petitioners stated that the Pakistan Muslim League-N candidate had kept secret the facts about Iqama and shares in companies. She did inform about holding of Iqama but did not mention the earning through it and details of bank accounts, they said.

Kulsoom is also nominated in a treason case in a Sindh court.

The petitioners said the wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif advertently hid facts from the nation, hence she was not eligible to contest elections and the decision of approval of her nomination papers by the returning officer should be revoked.

Polling for the by-election in NA-120 constituency of Lahore is set to be held on Sept 17.

Earlier, an election appellate tribunal had rejected the identical petitions of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) challenging the approval of Begum Kulsoom’s nomination papers for the by-election in NA-120.

The election tribunal comprising Justice Mamoon Rasheed Sheikh and Justice Rasheed Sheikh dismissed the petitions after hearing arguments.

Faisal Mir, PTI candidate Dr Yasmeen Rashid, and Ishtiaq Chaudhry challenged the returning officer’s decision of accepting Kulsoom’s nomination papers as the PML-N candidate for NA-120.