Lahore: the election tribunal has affirmed the rejection of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nomination papers for NA-122 and PS 89 of Mianwali, leading to his exclusion from the upcoming general elections.
Presided over by Justice Tariq Nadeem at the Lahore High Court, the election tribunal dismissed Imran Khan’s appeal regarding the rejection of his papers for NA-122. The tribunal upheld the decision of the returning officer (RO), who stated that the endorser of Imran Khan did not belong to the constituency.
Likewise, Judge Chaudhry Abdul Aziz rejected Imran’s appeal for NA-89, supporting the RO’s objections. The tribunal pointed out that Imran’s conviction in the Toshakhana case renders him ineligible to contest the election, emphasizing that the length of the sentence is irrelevant until the sentence is in effect.
Following these rulings, Imran’s legal representative, Advocate Umair Niazi, expressed the intention to challenge them in front of a larger bench in the high court.
On December 30, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected Imran’s nomination papers due to his conviction in the Toshakhana case, asserting that he remains ineligible to participate in elections as long as the conviction remains valid.
According to the ECP’s election schedule, the tribunals are expected to conclude the hearing of appeals today and publish a revised list of candidates by tomorrow. The withdrawal of nomination papers is scheduled for Jan 12 (Friday), with the final list of candidates set to be released on the same day. The allocation of election symbols to the candidates is slated for Jan 13 (Saturday), and polling is scheduled for Feb 8, as per the spokesperson’s earlier statement.