LAHORE – An appellate tribunal of the Lahore High Court on Saturday declared former finance minister Ishaq Dar and a sister of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasis eligible to take part in upcoming Senate elections.
Dar had filed nomination papers for a technocrat seat in the Senate after getting a ticket from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). However, the nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer, stating that Dar was not ‘honest’ and ‘truthful’ as per the Constitution.
On Thursday the embattled former minister challenged the rejection of his Senate election nomination at the appellate tribunal.
Subsequently, the tribunal has declared the decision of the ECP officer null and void.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/ishaq-dar-declared-proclaimed-offender-in-corruption-case/
Ishaq Dar in his appeal said that the ECP rejected his nomination papers even though all the legal requirements were fulfilled. He asked the court to declared the returning officer’s decision null and void.
The former finance minister has been declared absconder by an accountability court in Islamabad for not attending the hearings of the corruption trial against him. He has been living in London for medical treatment for months. He is facing charges of possessing assets beyond known sources of income.
Sadia Abbasi
The appellate bench of the high court also allowed Abbasi’s sister Sadia Abbasi to contest the forthcoming Senate polls.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Andleeb Abbas moved a petition against Sadia Abbasi’s nomination for the Senate on a seat reserved for women.
The PTI leader claimed that Sadia Abbasi had not declared her assets in the the nomination papers, adding that former also held dural nationality.
As per the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) schedule, elections will be held on March 3.
