RO declares Nawaz eligible for elections

MANSEHRA: The Returning officer (RO) for NA-15 ( Mansehra II) Hajrah Sami on Thursday ruled out all objections raised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility to contest the February 8 general elections and declared his nomination papers valid as per Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rules.

“The scrutiny process of nomination papers of PMLN supreme leader Nawaz Sharif has been completed and all objections raised by PTI leader Azam Khan Swati, and two others have been set aide, and he has been declared eligible to contest elections from here,” Jahangir Jadoon, the legal advisor to Nawaz Sharif, told reporters outside the RO offices.

Hajrah considered the objections raised by PTI senator Azam Khan Swati, Shahid Rafique and Zakria Tariq in the presence of PML-N and PTI lawyers and leaders and gave a clean chit to Nawaz Sharif to contest the Feb 8, general elections from NA-15 Mansehra-II.

A PTI lawyers panel led by Waqar Khan Jehangira and Amir Shah, and PML-N led by Jadoon made arguments in the case for about two hours.

“Nawaz Sharif is disqualified for holding any public office or contesting general elections by Supreme Court’s five-member bench so that he is not eligible to run in Feb 8, general elections from NA-15,” PTI’s counsel Waqar Khan Jehangiri told the RO during the proceedings.

He said that Nawaz Sharif was dishonest and held corrupt by the apex court under sections 62(I) and (F) of the country’s constitution.

Later, talking to mediamen outside RO Office Nawaz Sharif’s legal advisor Jahangir Jadoon said Senator Azam Khan Swati was out of the country how he could show up at local courts here and sign the power of attorney and other documents.

“We have taken up this forgery with the RO concerned and would take this issue to the court of law as the notary public confirmed Swati’s presence here in court premises at about 9 am,” he said.

Jadoon said they would also challenge Swati’s nomination papers on December 30.

“How an absconder shows up on court premises and signs legal documents and power of attorney as he (Swati) according to our information has fled abroad,” he said.