LAHORE, April 19: A Lahore High Court full bench on Friday disqualified a former PPP minister, Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, to contest the upcoming general election while provisionally allowed Chaudhry Wajahat Husain of the PML-Q, three candidates of the PML-N and one of the PTI to participate in the polls after suspending decisions of returning officers and election tribunals.
The bench also disposed of the petitions challenging acceptance of nomination papers of PTI chief Imran Khan and PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz with directions to petitioners to approach the Election Commission for their grievance.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan headed the full bench along with Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.
Saeed Khan from NA-79, Gujranwala, had challenged the rejection of his papers by the RO and the tribunal. He was accused of evading agricultural income tax. However, he failed to prove his innocence and the bench dismissed the petition.
Taking up the petition of Wajahat Husain, the bench conditionally allowed him to contest the polls and directed the ECP to include his name in the list of valid candidates.
The RO and the election tribunal had rejected his papers from NA-104 and PP-108, Gujrat, on charges of getting bank loans written off. Former PPP MPA Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gull had challenged his candidature.
The bench suspended the decisions of the RO and the tribunal and issued a notice to the ECP for April 24.
The bench also provisionally allowed Rai Hasan Nawaz of the PTI to contest election from NA-162, Sahiwal, and issued a notice to the ECP.
Chaudhry Zahid Iqbal of the PML-N also got conditional permission to contest the polls from NA-162, Sahiwal. The RO and the election tribunal had rejected his nomination papers for being a dual national.
He told the bench that he had surrendered his dual nationality of the UK and also presented a documentary evidence to this effect.
The bench issued a notice to the ECP for April 22 and directed it to include the name of the petitioner in the list of candidates.
The bench allowed another candidate of the PML-N, Khwaja Muhammad Wasim, to contest election from PP-135, Narowal. His papers were rejected on charges of being a tax evader and for concealing assets.
The bench issued a notice to former information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira on a writ petition challenging his candidature from NA-106, Gujrat.
A voter, Muhammad Shabbir, had filed a petition against Kaira. He submitted that in a contempt of court case against his (Kaira) brother, he undertook to clear the liability besides giving a cheque for Rs1 million as guarantee. He said Kaira failed to fulfill his commitment and the cheque was also not entertained by the bank concerned. The bench issued a notice to Kaira for April 22.
The bench disqualified Rana Jamil Hasan of the PML-N from PP-174, Nankana Sahib. The RO and the election tribunal had also rejected his papers for being a bank defaulter of Rs9 million.
Meanwhile, the bench disposed of a petition moved by Amina Khan, a voter from NA-122, Lahore, against Imran Khan, and directed her to approach the ECP.
She had sought disqualification of Khan on the basis of his alleged relations with a European woman, Sita White. She said Khan had also a daughter out of that relation and a court of California (USA) had verified the relations between Khan and White. The petitioner, however, failed to produce the order of the US court.
The bench also disposed of a petition seeking disqualification of Hamza Shahbaz from NA-119, Lahore.
Sohail Malik of the PPP filed the petition and submitted that Hamza was not an honest and righteous person as he did not disclose his assets before the ECP. He further said Hamza concealed his marriage with Ayesha Malik.
The bench directed the petitioner to approach the ECP.
