ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has admitted for hearing a petition against a Lahore High Court (LHC) decision to dismiss applications challenging the candidature of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Kulsoom Nawaz for the NA-120 by-election. The top court will hear the petition tomorrow (Monday), a day after the NA-120 by-polls. The PPP nominee for the NA-120 by-polls, Faisal Mir, had challenged the LHC verdict in the apex court on Friday. A three-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed will hear his application. Mir stated in his plea that Kulsoom had failed to submit full details of her tax returns and statements of assets and liabilities. “She purposely concealed her assets and did not disclose a United Arab Emirates iqama (work permit) attached with her nomination papers, therefore, she is ineligible to participate in the by-election under Articles 62 and 62 of the Constitution,” the application said. The PPP leader has urged the SC to quash the high court’s September 13 verdict, which dismissed the appeals challenging the acceptance of Kulsoom’s nomination papers. PPP’s Faisal Mir, Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Nabeel Shahzad of the Milli Muslim League (MML) had filed the petitions invoking the writ jurisdiction of the high court. They had challenged the decisions of the returning officer and an election tribunal whereby nomination papers of Kulsoom Nawaz were accepted.
Published in Daily Times, September 17th 2017.
