Abbasi, Fawad, Rind allowed to contest election

[ahlam1399]

Ag AgenciesLAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The superior courts on Thursday allowed former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry and Yar Muhammad Rind to contest the upcoming elections, annulling the decisions passed by election appellate tribunals against them.A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) set aside the election appellate tribunal’s decision, disqualifying Abbasi for life for not being “Sadiq” and “Ameen” under Article 62 of the Constitution. The tribunal had also barred Abbasi from contesting the election from his NA-57, his home constituency covering Murree. The bench had already provisionally allowed him to contest the polls by suspending the impugned decisions of the tribunal. However, on Thursday the court passed the final order. Abbasi’s lawyer told the court that responses have been provided to all questions asked in the nomination papers. Despite all the details being furnished, a decision was made contrary to the law, Abbasi’s counsel said, adding the ex-prime minister had declared the value of all his assets.Abbasi said he had invested Rs1 million in Murree’s Blue Pines Hotel. He contended that the tribunal overstepped its jurisdiction, since it only had powers to either accept or reject nomination papers, and lacked the authority to disqualify lawmakers for life.During the hearing, a two-member bench, headed by Justice Sayed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, quizzed the former prime minister on assets declared before the electoral body. The bench also questioned his role as the owner of AirBlue airline, and the stocks and shares he owns in other companies. The returning officer also submitted his reply to the court in the judge’s chamber.According to the tribunal’s decision, Abbasi does not fulfil requirements under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. The court had also sent a notice to the returning officer who rejected the nomination papers. Abbasi’s appeal, against the verdict authored by Justice Ibad-ur-Rehman Lodhi and filed by his counsel Khawaja Tariq Rahim, asserted that the appellate tribunal’s jurisdiction only extended to approving or rejecting returning officer’s stance. “It cannot disqualify a candidate for life,” stressed the petition.The same bench of the LHC also set aside an appellate tribunal’s verdict, barring PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry for life from contesting elections from NA-67, Jhelum. The petitioner said although the RO had accepted the nomination papers, but the appellate tribunal had rejected them. Fawad according to the tribunal, had not been furnished the details of Rs 3.2m expenditure on foreign trips and had not provided details of the assets.The appellant maintained that a Federal Board of Revenue certified copy of details was attached to the nomination papers but this was ignored by the tribunal and was disqualified for life. Fawad requested the court to set aside the tribunal’s verdict and grant him permission to contest the election. Subsequently, the LHC set aside the decision and gave him the green light to contest from NA-67.Meanwhile, another division bench led by Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza disqualified PTI candidate Asif Tauseef from contesting election from NA-105. The objector, Hanif Jutt, pleaded that the returning officer and election tribunal accepted Asif’s nomination papers despite the fact he had not declared the loans borrowed from different banks in the names of his wife and dependants.On the other hand, the Supreme Court allowed Yar Muhammad Rind, who is PTI’s Balochistan chapter head, to contest elections after nullifying the verdict passed by the Balochistan High Court.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/NNv5QrqtI-Q

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