Imran Khan moves top court against rejection of nomination papers from Lahore, Mianwali

• Imran Khan urges court to declare him eligible. 
• Nomination papers were rejected for NA-122, NA-89.
• Requests court to nullify RO, LHC, tribunal's decision. 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday against the rejection of his nomination papers in the February 8 polls from Lahore and Mianwali constituencies. 

The nomination papers of the former prime minister were rejected for two National Assembly constituencies — Lahore's NA-122 and Mianwali's NA-89 — for the elections. 

“The PTI founder has been convicted,” the returning officer (RO) assigned to scrutinise the nomination papers of the NA-122 constituency said, explaining the basis of the decision, dealing a blow to the PTI ahead of the polls.

The papers were rejected after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mian Naseer raised objections, referring to Khan's five-year disqualification in the Toshakhana case wherein the electoral body had found him guilty of corrupt practices under Section 167 of the Elections Act, 2017.

"PTI founder's proposer and seconder do not belong from NA-122," the objection added.

The former PTI chief had filed a plea at the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the rejection of the papers which were turned down as the court upheld the decisions of the RO and appellate tribunal.

In his petition before the Supreme Court, Khan urged the court to declare him eligible to contest the elections from the two constituencies. 

"The notification of disqualification under Article 63 (1)(h) is ineligible," said the plea. It also contends that for a person order to be disqualified under Article 63 (1)(H) a moral crime must also be committed. 

The petition also said that the conviction in the Toshakhana case was not on moral grounds. "The decisions of the returning officer, Election Tribunal and high court should be declared null and void," Khan requested. 

Earlier today, an accountability court sentenced Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana case. The judge also disqualified the former premier for 10 years. 

The verdict came a day after the PTI founder and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in the cipher case.