LAHORE – Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has challenged the candidacy of Kulsoom Nawaz – former first lady – in the Lahore High Court days after a returning officer accepted the PML-N candidate’s nomination papers for the upcoming NA-120 by-election.
PTI leader Andaleeb Abbasi filed an application in the high court, maintaining that Kulsoom’s nomination papers contain a lot of contradictions yet the returning officer accepted them despite her disappearance.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/na-120-by-poll-ecp-approves-nomination-papers-of-kulsoom-nawaz-despite-her-absence/
“Numerous laws were violated while accepting Kulsoom’s nomination papers, which is why they should be rejected by overturning the returning officer’s decision,” the application says.
The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP’s) returning officer for the constituency had accepted Kulsoom’s nomination papers on Thursday after Senator Asif Kirmani appeared in her place to respond to reservations.
The NA-120 constituency, Lahore-III, fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case on July 28.
The former prime minister had earlier announced his younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s name as the party candidate. His name was later withdrawn as party members deemed his presence in Punjab too important.
PTI has fielded Dr Yasmin Rashid for the Sept 17 by-poll.
In the May 2013 general election, Nawaz Sharif beat the Dr Yasmin with a margin of around 40,000 votes. The firebrand Dr Rashid did however manage to get 50,000 votes – by far the highest by a candidate contesting against Nawaz Sharif in the constituency.
