Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi declared 'ineligible' to contest polls

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi was declared 'ineligible' to contest elections from his stronghold Multan as an appellate election tribunal on Saturday, rejected his appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers, The News International reported.

While Qureshi was cleared to contest polls from the NA-214 constituency in Sindh's Umarkot city, the appellate election tribunal turned down his appeal filed against the returning officer's (RO) decision to reject his nomination papers for two National Assembly and as many Punjab Assembly seats in Multan.

He had filed for nomination papers for NA-150 Multan-III, NA-151 Multan-IV and PP-218, PP-219 constituencies.

Speaking to The News International, Multan High Court Bar Association President Rana Asif Saeed said the election tribunal had rejected the appeal of Shah Mehmood, filed for restoration of his right to candidature.

The tribunal had declared him 'ineligible' to contest the election. Appellate Tribunal Judge Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar delivered the verdict, he said.

Earlier, ROs had rejected the nomination papers of Qureshi from NA-150 Multan-III, NA-151 Multan-IV and PP-218, PP-219, and he had filed appeals against the rejection of his nomination papers. However, the appellate tribunal had dismissed his appeals.

Meanwhile, the hearing of over 60 appeals continued in the election tribunal, established on the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court on Saturday.

The nomination papers of Zartaj Gul and her husband Humayun were accepted by Dera Ghazi Khan, and the tribunal declared her eligible to contest elections.

Jamshed Dasti's wife Nazia Dasti, and nephew Samad Dasti's nomination papers were accepted while his appeal against the rejection of nomination papers was adjourned till Sunday.

The nomination papers of Malik Niaz Ahmad Jhakkar and Malik Owais Haider Jhakkar from Leh NA-182 Multan were accepted, according to The News International.

In Lahore, an appellate tribunal held a hearing on an appeal filed against approval of nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif from NA-130 and directed the petitioner to appear before the court till Sunday. Petitioner Shahid Aurakzai did not appear on the court summons for the second time on Saturday.

The court discussed the objections of the registrar's office to the petitioner's appeal and gave the last chance him to appear for arguments against the objections of the registrar's office till Sunday.

The appellate tribunal of the LHC rejected the appeal against the approval of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz's nomination papers from PP-80 Sargodha and the nomination papers were declared valid, The News International reported. Last month, Pakistan police implicated Shah Mehmood Qureshi in at least 12 different cases registered by the district police in connection with the May 9 violence following his rearrest, according to Dawn.

Later, a magistrate sent him to Adiala Jail on a two-week remand in a case regarding the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ), Rawalpindi.