Plea against ASWJ candidate dismissed

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition challenging the nomination papers of Maulana Muaviya Azam Tariq of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat from PP-126, Jhang.

Dismissing the petition for being not maintainable, a division bench headed by Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza observed that the petitioner failed to agitate the matter within the stipulated time.

Petitioner Masoodul Hassan had challenged the candidature of Maulana Muaviya, son of late Azam Tariq, accusing him of concealing details of his assets in the nomination papers. He sought dismissal of the decisions by the returning officer and the appellate tribunal regarding acceptance of Muaviya’s nomination papers.

The bench also dismissed a petition of Azizur Rehman Chan of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) against rejection of his nomination papers from PP-144 and PP-156 (Lahore). Through a counsel, Chan submitted that he had cleared the banks’ liability on his two factories but his nomination papers were rejected in the light of a report prepared by State Bank of Pakistan.

The bench also dismissed petition of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Rai Hassan Nawaz against rejection of nomination papers from NA-146 Okara. The RO and the appellate tribunal had rejected his papers on the basis of his disqualification by the Supreme Court in fake degree case. However, the bench dismissed the petition on technical grounds of time limitation.

Meanwhile, the same bench allowed Muhammad Rehmatullah to contest election from PP-95 Chiniot. His papers were rejected by the appellate tribunal for being a defaulter of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). The bench set aside the tribunal’s decision and allowed the petitioner to contest the polls. The bench dismissed a petition challenging nomination papers of Hafiz Shabbir of PML-N from PP-47 Shakargarh.

It also dismissed a petition challenging the candidature of independent candidate Jugnu Mohsin, wife of former caretaker chief minister Najam Sethi, from PP-184 Okara.