An election appellate tribunal – comprising a judge of the Lahore High Court – Wednesday allowed PTI chief and former prime minister Imran Khan to contest by-polls from NA-108 and NA-118. The tribunal set aside a decision of the returning officer and allowed Imran Khan to contest from NA-108, after accepting his nomination papers. The tribunal also dismissed an appeal against acceptance of Imran Khan’s nomination papers from NA-118. The tribunal comprising Justice Shahid Waheed heard the appeal, filed by Dr Shezra Mansab Kharal, a candidate of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz from the NA-118 constituency, against acceptance of PTI chief’s nomination papers for by-polls, and his appeal against rejection of his nomination papers for by-polls in NA-108.
Barrister Ali Zafar, on behalf of Imran Khan, appeared before the tribunal and argued that the returning officer rejected nomination papers of his client from NA-108 illegally.
His nomination papers were accepted in eight other constituencies for the by-polls, and the same details were provided in the other constituencies, he added. He pleaded with the court to set aside the decision of the returning officer and allow his client to contest from NA-108 constituency. The counsel for Dr Shezra Mansab argued that the returning officer had accepted nomination papers of the PTI chief from NA-118 constituency despite the fact that the papers were not attested by an oath commissioner, as required by the law.
However, the tribunal observed that the Supreme Court had already declared that nomination papers could not be rejected if those were not attested by the oath commissioner. It is such a shortcoming which could be corrected, it added.
