Dar moves LHC against rejection of his Senate nomination

LAHORE: Former finance minister Ishaq Dar Thursday challenged rejection of his nomination papers for Senate election in the Lahore High Court by filing an appeal.

A returning officer on Monday had dismissed nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) candidate Ishaq Dar, ruling that Dar was a court absconder in a corruption and money-laundering reference pending against him in an accountability court.

According to the ECP, the nomination papers of Ishaq Dar were rejected for not providing authentic declaration of his election campaign expenses. The returning officer ruled that former finance minister was not ‘truthful’ and ‘honest’ (Sadiq and Ameen) as per the Constitution.

In the appeal, moved before appellate tribunal of LHC, Dar stated that the returning officer rejected his papers even though all legal requirements were fulfilled. The court was requested to nullify the returning officer's rejection of Dar's nomination papers.

Dar, who is currently in London undergoing medical treatment, was declared an absconder by an accountability court in December last year in a corruption reference after he repeatedly failed to join the trial. He is being probed on charges of amassing assets beyond his known sources of income. Dar was to contest in the Senate polls over two seats, a general seat and technocrat seat.