KARACHI, Sept 6: The number of appeals challenging the rejection and acceptance of nomination papers of the candidates for election to the National and Sindh assemblies rose to 91 on Friday as 66 more appeals were filed with the election tribunal on the last day.

The election tribunals, constituted by the Chief Election Commissioner, will hear these election petitions from Saturday till Sept 13.

The Election Commission had on Tuesday set up two election tribunals for disposal of the appeals against the decisions of returning officers rejecting or accepting the nomination papers of the candidates for election to the national and the provincial assemblies in Sindh.

One of the tribunals comprised Justice Mohammed Roshan Esani and Justice Mohammed Moosa K. Leghari, and the other consisted of Justice Syed Sarwar Hussain Jafferi and Justice Muhammed Sadiq Leghari.

The candidature of Mian Ijaz Shafi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), was challenged by Islam Hussain, a local lawyer, who called in question the education degrees of the two in his appeal against the acceptance of their nomination papers by the respective returning officers.

Another lawyer, Sathi Ishaq, also filed an appeal against the acceptance of nomination papers of Mian Ijaz Shafi, a candidate from two constituencies in Karachi (NA-239 and NA-246).

According to the appeals against the acceptance of papers of Ijaz Shafi, the PML (N) leader had allegedly submitted fake degree of BA, obtained from an institution in Calcutta in 1966.

The challengers contended that the candidate must have furnished his nomination papers with the citizenship certificate if he had graduated in India in 1966.

In his appeal against the acceptance of nomination papers of Abu Bakar Shaikhani, a candidate of PML (Q) from NA-252 and PS- 116 (Karachi), Islam Hussain advocate challenged that the PML (N) candidate was not a university graduate, as required by the election laws.

Three appeals were filed against the acceptance of nomination papers of Nabil Gabol, a former speaker of the Sindh Assembly and leader of the PPP, by a candidate of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Alhaj Mohammed Rafi, and two voters from the constituency (NA- 248).

The challengers submitted in their appeals that the PPP leader was not a Pakistani citizen as he allegedly possessed the nationality of Oman. They alleged that the candidate, whose name is Nabil Allah Bux Baloshi, son of Ahmed Gabol, in his BA degree wrote his name as Nabil Ahmed Gabol.

Those who filed appeals against the rejection of their nomination papers included four candidates belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. They were Syed Mustafa Kamal from PS- 115 (Karachi), Karim Bux from PS-59 (Badin), Muzaffar Ali Shah from PS-82 and Shahab Uddin from NA-242.

Besides, five appeals were filed by four candidate of the Sunni Tehreek against the rejection of their nomination papers by the returning officers.

They were Hakim Ahsan from NA-240, Rashid Mehfooz from NA- 245, Mohammed Rafique from NA-245 and PS-123 and Khalid Qadri from PS-46. Their nomination papers were rejected by the ROs as either their prospers or the seconders were not enlisted voters in the respective constituencies.