ECP rejects PTI's objections, allows Yousaf Raza Gillani to contest Senate polls
Last updated on: 18 February,2021 12:22 pm
RO has rejected the objections raised by PTI and allowed Gillani to participate in the polls.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday has approved nomination papers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and joint candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Senate elections, Yousaf Raza Gillani.
While announcing the reserved verdict, the returning officer has rejected the objections raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fareed Rehman and allowed the former Prime Minister (PM) to contest the elections.
It is to be mentioned here that on February 16, 2021, PTI had challenged Gillani’s nomination papers and accused him of concealing the facts. Yousaf Raza Gillani had not mentioned his sentence in contempt of court case in his nomination papers, PTI leader said. Fareed Rahman further said that Gillani didn’t fulfill the requirement of Article 62 of the Constitution. While recording arguments on the objections, the counsel of PDM candidate said that his client was charged not convicted in the case and that Supreme Court (SC) had given him a symbolic sentence. The sentence of Yousaf Raza Gillani ended in 2017 and he contested the General Elections in 2018, he told. PTI’s allegations were lies. The time of ECP was wasted on this matter and nomination papers of Yousaf Raza Gilani should be accepted, the lawyer argued.
PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that if the objectors had read Article 63 of the Contitution, they would have not come raised this issue as this article does not apply here.
On the other hand, the process of scrutiny of nomination papers submitted by the candidates for the Senate elections is underway.
A total of 170 candidates had filed their nomination papers in the ECP for the elections on 48 seats in the upper house of the Parliament. 29 candidates from Punjab, 39 from Sindh, 51 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 41 from Balochistan and 10 from the federal capital Islamabad had submitted their details.
The candidates can file appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers on February 20 and the last date for disposing of these appeals is February 23. The revised list of candidates will be published on February 24. The candidates can withdraw their nomination papers on February 25.
Polling on 48 seats will be held on the 3rd of next month at the Parliament house in Islamabad and the four provincial assemblies.