November 28, 2007	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 17, 1428

MULTAN, Nov 27: Nomination papers of two Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidates were rejected during the scrutiny process on Tuesday.

The returning officer rejected the papers of Raja Abdul Ghaffar, PPP candidate from PP-196, while the papers of PPP ticket-holder from PP-198, Malik Adnan Dogar, were also rejected as he turned out to be an underage too contest the polls.

Returning officers approved the papers of Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Javed Hashmi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Sikandar Bosan.

The election authorities gave two days to Pakistan Muslim League-Q candidate Rai Mansab Ali to present his graduate degree as some candidates objected to the marks sheet he presented as proof to his graduation. Humaira Tariq from PP-197 withdrew her candidature.

LAHORE: The provincial election commission on Tuesday started scrutiny of nomination papers which will continue till Dec 3.

As many as 259 candidates have filed their nomination papers for 13 National Assembly seats and 622 have filed their papers for 25 Punjab Assembly seats from Lahore, according to the election commission.

On Tuesday, Returning Officer Badruddin rejected an objection raised by Jamaat-i-Islami’s Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari against Pakistan Muslim League’s Mian Muhammad Azhar and accepted his nomination papers for NA-118.

Ansari had objected to an assets statement submitted by Azhar.

Mr Badruddin did not allow Ansari time to file details of Azhar’s ‘real assets’. Ansari had sought two days for the purpose.

Another returning officer dismissed nomination papers of Muhammad Ismail, a candidate for NA-130, after he could not produce his Bachelors degree.

BAHAWALPUR: Returning officers began scrutiny of nomination papers on Tuesday after 55 candidates belonging to major political parties and independents filed their papers for five seats of National Assembly while 133 filed their papers for 10 seats of Punjab Assembly from Bahawalpur district till Monday.

Twenty candidates will be contesting for NA-185 (Bahawalpur-III) while 37 for PP-271 (Bahawalpur-V) and among them are former federal ministers, MNAs and MPAs including former chief minister Pervaiz Elahi.

There are seven candidates contesting against Pervaiz Elahi at NA-187 (Bahawalpur-IV).

Former federal minister Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi, who was denied PML-Q ticket, will now contest for NA-186 (Khairpur Tamewali) as an independent candidate.

Former MPA Allah Din, alias Sheikh Hakim Ali, originally belonging to Jhang district, has also filed his nomination papers for NA-184 (Bahawalpur-II) and PP-269 (Bahawalpur-III).

Two stepbrothers, Makhdoom Syed Ali Hassan Gilani, former federal parliamentary secretary for science and technology who had defected to PML-N, and Makhdoom Syed Samiul Hassan Gilani, Ahmedpur East tehsil nazim, are among the ten contestants for NA-183.

The nomination papers of the candidates contesting for NA-185, the constituency falling in city precincts, will be scrutinised on Dec 3.

GUJRANWALA: The papers of 20 aspirants for NA-96 were found in order by the returning officer, additional sessions judge Hayat Gondal.

By Monday night, 360 aspirants, including 112 for NA seats, had filed their papers.

The nominations show that biradarism will again play an important role in general election.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Waseem Akhtar, additional district and sessions judge, with powers as returning officer, postponed the scrutiny of nomination papers of candidates for NA-93, PP-86, PP-87 and PP-90 for Nov 29.

He said that since the lists of bank defaulters could not reach his office, the scrutiny was impossible.