LHC Justice Tariq Nadeem announces the verdict after hearing the arguments.
LAHORE: An appellate tribunal established by the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the returning officer’s (RO) decision to reject Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s nomination papers from Lahore’s NA-122 constituency.
A lawyer for the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told the tribunal that the PTI founder had been disqualified and that his proposer did not reside in the NA-122 constituency.
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Justice Tariq Nadeem of the Appellate Tribunal announced the verdict after hearing the arguments.
On December 30, 2023, Khan’s nomination papers were rejected for a National Assembly constituency in Lahore and his hometown of Mianwali.
The former prime minister, who was barred from holding public office for five years in the Toshakhana case, had filed nomination papers from Lahore’s NA-122 and Mianwali’s NA-89 constituencies for the February 8, 2024 elections.
“The PTI founder has been convicted,” said the RO in charge of scrutinising the NA-122 constituency nomination papers, explaining the reasoning behind the decision.
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The objections, raised by PML-N’s Mian Naseer, referred to Khan’s five-year disqualification in the Toshakhana case, where the electoral body found him guilty of corrupt practices under Section 167 of the Elections Act of 2017.
“PTI founder’s proposer and seconder do not belong to NA-122,” the objection stated.
Multiple objections were raised against Khan’s nomination papers filed from his NA-89 Mianwali stronghold, including Toshakhana’s disqualification, having an illegitimate daughter, and failing to pay Rs3.6 million in social security funds.
The returning officer agreed with the objections and rejected the former prime minister’s nomination papers.
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