SC permits Parvez Elahi, who is imprisoned, to run in the stronghold poll on February 8

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president and former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi was granted permission by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday to run in the February 8 election.

The PTI leader had previously petitioned the supreme court to be granted permission to run the next elections while contesting the ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC). He was facing imprisonment due to his purported participation in several crimes. The Election Tribunal’s ruling to reject his candidacy papers was maintained by the LHC.

Read More: Pervaiz Elahi taken to RIC

The seasoned politician Elahi has been granted permission to run for the provincial assembly seat in Gujrat PP-32, his home area.

On Friday, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the electoral tribunal’s decision to reject his nomination papers was void.

Elahi appealed the denial of his nomination papers to a three-judge Supreme Court bench made up of Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Athar Minallah.

Ihsan Khokhar, Elahi’s attorney, stated that they don’t want to postpone the elections and asked for approval for his client to run from PP-32 Gujrat.

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During the hearing, the court declared that voters could not have their right to vote taken away from them.

The Returning Officer’s role is to assist the electoral process rather than cause obstacles. The court stated, “The election is about people’s involvement, not their exclusion.

His appeal was granted by the court, which also ordered the relevant authorities to print his name and election emblem on the voting paper.

But the longtime lawmaker, who is presently being held in Adiala Jail, has withdrawn from consideration for any other constituency and will only run for PP-32.

It is important to note that Elahi previously ran for six seats in the Punjab Assembly and the National Assembly, representing Talagang, Mandi Bahauddin, and Gujrat.

The National Assembly’s NA-59, NA-64, and NA-69 as well as the Punjab Assembly’s PP-23, PP-32, and PP-34 constituencies are included.