PTI's Qureshi declared ineligible to contest election from stronghold Multan

• Qureshi cleared to contest polls from NA-214 constituency. 
• Tribunal rejects appeal against Maryam nomination papers approval.
• Jamshed Dasti’s wife, nephew nomination papers accepted. 

MULTAN/LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi was declared ineligible to contest elections from his stronghold Multan as an appellate election tribunal Saturday rejected his appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers, The News reported.

While Qureshi was cleared to contest polls from the NA-214 constituency in Sindh's Umarkot city, the appellate election tribunal turned down his appeal filed against the returning officer’s (RO) decision to reject his nomination papers for two National Assembly and as many Punjab Assembly seats in Multan.

He had filed for nomination papers for NA-150 Multan-III, NA-151 Multan-IV and PP-218, PP-219 constituencies.

Talking to The News, Multan High Court Bar Association President Rana Asif Saeed said the election tribunal had rejected the appeal of Shah Mehmood, filed for restoration of his right to candidacy. The tribunal had declared him ineligible to contest the election. Appellate Tribunal Judge Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar delivered the verdict, he said.

Earlier, ROs had rejected the nomination papers of Qureshi from NA-150 Multan-III, NA-151 Multan-IV and PP-218, PP-219, and he had filed appeals against the rejection of his nomination papers. However, the appellate tribunal had dismissed his appeals.

Meanwhile, the hearing of over 60 appeals continued in the election tribunal, established on the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court on Saturday.

The nomination papers of Zartaj Gul and her husband Humayun were accepted from Dera Ghazi Khan, and the tribunal declared her eligible to contest elections.

Jamshed Dasti’s wife Nazia Dasti, and nephew Samad Dasti’s nomination papers were accepted while his appeal against the rejection of nomination papers was adjourned till Sunday. The nomination papers of Malik Niaz Ahmad Jhakkar and Malik Owais Haider Jhakkar from Leh NA-182 Multan were accepted.

The nomination papers of Irshad Arain from Multan-Burewala NA-156 were approved. Rizwan Shaukat’s nomination papers were also accepted.

Multan Appellate Judge Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa heard appeals at the LHC Multan Bench. The appeals from NA-139 to NA-153 and NA-156 to NA-159, PP-193 to PP-224, and PP-229 to PP-236 were heard in the court of Justice Dogar.

The appellate tribunal, headed by Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, heard the appeals from NA-91, NA-92, NA-175 to NA-189 as well as provincial constituencies PP-89 to PP-93, and PP-268 to PP-297.

In Lahore, an appellate tribunal held a hearing on an appeal filed against approval of nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif from NA-130 and directed the petitioner to appear before the court till Sunday.

Petitioner Shahid Aurakzai did not appear on the court summons for the second time on Saturday. The court discussed the objections of the registrar’s office to the petitioner’s appeal and gave the last chance to him to appear for arguments against the objections of the registrar’s office till Sunday.

The appellate tribunal of the LHC rejected the appeal against the approval of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz’s nomination papers from PP-80 Sargodha and the nomination papers were declared valid.