PML-N’s Pervaiz Rashid can not contest Senate poll, rules election tribunal

LAHORE: PML-N suffered a set back on Tuesday after an election tribunal rejected former senator Pervaiz Rashid’s appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers by a returning officer (RO) for the upcoming Senate elections.

The verdict was issued by a single-member bench of Justice Shahid Waheed after the arguments in the case had finished.

Rashid, who spoke to the media following the verdict, said that his lawyers had suggested to him that an appeal could be filed against the decision but he was "not convinced" to file it.

“Lawyers say it can be appealed, but I am not convinced. I may not move to seek justice for myself,” said the former senator.

The PML-N leader said that in today's verdict he was expecting the tribunal to direct him to pay the dues to the Punjab House. He also alleged that the Punjab House management refused to take payment from him once he went there to pay the dues.

Last week, the PML-N leader had challenged the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to reject his nomination papers for the upcoming Senate election.

In his appeal, Rashid stated that the RO "unlawfully rejected the nomination papers," adding that he was ready to deposit Rs9.5 million to the administration of the Punjab House as required by the ECP for the purpose but he did not receive the related bank details.

He had approached the tribunal after his nomination papers were rejected on allegations that he had defaulted on payments that were to be made to the Punjab House.

PTI MPA Zainab Omar had filed an objection against Rashid through her lawyer Rana Mudassar to the returning officer/provincial election commissioner in Lahore.

The provincial government had released a list of people in 2018 who had not cleared their bills for staying and taking meals at the Punjab House. Rashid was among those who were named in the list.