LAHORE: The returning officer’s (RO) decision to reject Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s nomination papers from the NA-122 constituency in Lahore was confirmed by an appellate panel created at the Lahore High Court (LHC).
Before the tribunal, an attorney from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) argued that the PTI founder was no longer eligible to run for office and that his proposer did not reside in the NA-122 constituency.
Justice Tariq Nadeem of the appellate tribunal heard the arguments before announcing the decision.
The Rawalpindi tribunal’s Justice Chaudhary Abdul Aziz, meantime, denied Khan’s petition against the dismissal of documents from the Mianwali constituency NA-89.
The judge maintained the RO’s ruling that the PTI founder was ineligible to run for office in the Mianwali constituency.
Khan’s National Council nomination materials were not accepted.The former prime minister filed his nomination papers from the NA-122 and NA-89 constituencies in Lahore and Mianwali for the elections scheduled for February 8, 2024. He was barred from holding public office for five years as a result of the Toshakhana scandal.
The RO tasked with reviewing the NA-122 constituency’s nomination papers had stated, “The PTI founder has been convicted,” outlining the rationale behind the judgment.
The objections mentioned Khan’s five-year disqualification in the Toshakhana case, where the electoral commission declared him guilty of corrupt practices under Section 167 of the Elections Act, 2017, according to PML-N’s Mian Naseer.
The complaint had further said, “PTI founder’s proposer and seconder do not belong to NA-122.”
Numerous objections were raised on Khan’s nomination papers filed from his NA-89 Mianwali stronghold, ranging from Toshakhana’s disqualification to having an illegitimate daughter and defaulting on Rs3.6 million in social security funds.
The returning officer had turned down the former prime minister’s nomination documents in agreement with the concerns.
