ECP rejects Raheela Magsi’s nomination papers for Senate polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday rejected nomination papers of PML-N candidate Raheela Magsi for Senate polls while putting aside all other applications for rejection of candidatures, including those of Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq and Pervaiz Rashid.
A total of 161 candidates, including 38 from Fata, are now in the field for 52 Senate seats and it is expected that around 100 will be left in the contest after withdrawal of nomination papers Saturday and in the evening the final list of candidates will be issued by the Election Commission.
PPP’s candidate from the federal capital Nargis Faiz Malik had challenged the candidature of Raheela Magsi. “Main reason for rejection of Raheela Magsi’s nomination is the transfer of her vote to Islamabad from Tando Allah Yar after the issuance of Senate election’s schedule,” said a senior ECP official, who saw this development as quite encouraging in view of the worrying trend of candidates belonging to one province and running from any other province.
In all, eleven applications were filed, five alone by Shahid Jami for rejection of nomination papers of Raja Zafar, Pervaiz Rashid, Rehman Malik, Waqar Ahmad Khan and Ammar Ahmad Khan. Others, whose nomination papers have been cleared, include Chaudhry Tanvir and Prof Sajid Mir.
The two-day hearing of appeals and applications put to an end the crucial phase of the Senate electoral process that is fixed for March 05.The appeals and applications were heard by the Chief Election Commissioner Justice (R) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and three Election Commission Members Riaz Kayani, Shahzad Akbar Khan and Fazlur Rahman here. Sardar Raza announced the decisions at the end.
As many as 19 appeals against rejection of nomination papers, and eleven applications were filed with the Election Commission of Pakistan for rejection of papers of Senate election candidates. Eighteen of those, who filed appeals were from the Fata while one from Punjab. All these appeals were accepted for clearance of nomination papers and all but one application was also rejected.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is the only party that will be having representation in the upper house of Parliament for the first time and is expected to pocket seven seats, including two likely to be won, one each by Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad.