Several political heavyweights, including former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, former foreign minister Khwaja Asif and former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan filed their nomination papers on Sunday.
Gillani submitted papers for NA-158 (Multan) and Asif, who was recently declared eligible to contest elections by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, filed his papers for NA-73 and PP-37 in Sialkot.
Speaking to the media after filing his nomination papers, Asif said the people of the city would give their verdict on July 25. He said he would try his best to uphold the respect and sanctity of vote as well as to come up to the expectations of the voters.
On June 1, a three-member bench Supreme Court of Pakistan bench headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial annulled a verdict of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) disqualifying Asif from holding a public office for life. The IHC had disqualified him in late April for holding a work permit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a petition filed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Usman Dar, who lost 2013 general election to Asif in then NA-110.
Nisar submitted his nomination papers for two National Assembly (NA-59 and NA-63) and as many Punjab Assembly (PP-10 and PP-12) seats as an independent candidate amid uncertainty over his candidature on a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket.
The submissions were made on Nisar’s behalf by his close aide Shaikh Aslam. Media reports said that the former minister was on bed rest due to severe backache.
Political pundits see the move as Nisar’s attempt to preempt a situation where he is not awarded a ticket to contest election from the party. He has yet to submit an application to the party’s parliamentary board for the award of ticket.
The PML-N is expected to interview applicants for party tickets from Rawalpindi division on Monday (today). The party’s parliamentary board has interviewed candidates to finalise party ticket-holders throughout the last week.
Speaking to journalists at an Iftar on Saturday, PML-N senior leader Pervaiz Rashid had said aspirants needed to follow party procedures and submit applications for tickets with the parliamentary board.
In what appeared to be a veiled reference to the former interior minister’s case, Pervaiz said only those cleared by the board in an interview would be awarded ticket. He said all senior party leaders had adopted the procedure laid out in the party rules.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has decided to file his nomination papers for three constituencies of Karachi.
The former Punjab chief minister will submit his papers for NA-248, 249, and 250, media report said Sunday.
The younger of the Sharif brothers is also expected to file papers for NA-132 in Lahore.
Maryam Nawaz, dauther of ousted premier Nawaz, had submitted her nomination papers for NA-127 in Lahore.
Other PML-N leaders, who have submitted their papers include Saiful Malook Khokhar for NA-135, Sheikh Rohail Asghar for NA-128 and Sheikh Tariq Rasheed for NA-155 and NA-156.
PPP finalises candidates
from Sindh
—A4
Published in Daily Times, June 11th 2018.
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