Appellate tribunals: PTI’s Rind, Dreshak barred from contesting election

By Our correspondent

QUETTA/MULTAN: In a major blow to the PTI, the appellate tribunals constituted by the ECP on Tuesday barred Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind and Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak from contesting elections.

Rind, the head of PTI’s Balochistan chapter, had joined the party in 2015. He submitted his nomination papers from NA-260 and PB-17, Naseerabad/Jhal Magsi for the upcoming general elections. His nomination papers had been rejected by the returning officer (RO) as several cases were registered against him. Later, he had challenged the decision.

On Tuesday, Rind did not appear in person before the tribunal comprising a Balochistan High Court judge, as his lawyer Rana Aamir represented him before the tribunal. However, the tribunal upheld the RO’s verdict and barred Rind from contesting election.

Adding insult to the injuries, an appellate tribunal in Multan declared PTI’s Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak— who had contested 2013 general elections under independent capacity— ineligible to contest election. He had submitted his nomination papers from NA-194, Multan.

Meanwhile, the appellate tribunal in Quetta also upheld the RO’s decision to reject PPP Balochistan president Ali Madad Jattak’s nomination papers. The RO had rejected his nomination papers from PB-31 for having served five years in jail.

On the other hand, an election tribunal conditionally allowed former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani to contest election from NA-158 (Multan-V) after hearing arguments in a case pertaining to a loan worth Rs 700 million being written-off.

The tribunal comprising Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed of LHC conditionally allowed that he would mortgage his property worth Rs 30 million with the Karachi Agriculture Model Bank.

Gilani assured the court that he would mortgage his agriculture land located in Rajanpur district. The judge ordered the Rajanpur deputy commissioner to submit a report on Wednesday about mortgaging agriculture piece of land worth Rs30 million.

Gilani’s wife Fauzia Gilani had written off Rs700 million in 2004 payable to her private companies. She owned 12 per cent shares in those companies.

Earlier, the judge ordered the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) assistant manager in Multan to submit the list of those who wrote off loans. The judge adjourned hearing for half an hour and bound the SBP officials to submit the list in half an hour. The SBP assistant manager was produced before the court and he prayed the court that he would be able to produce complete record on Wednesday (today) at 11am.