ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf moved on Wednesday to seek Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification for alleged concealment of facts in his nomination forms submitted for last year’s elections.

PTI MNAs Ali Mohammad Khan and Murad Saeed filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to obtain a copy of the prime minister’s nomination forms to initiate the process of disqualification through a proper channel.

This is seen as a tit-for-tat response to a similar request made by Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, son of former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, to obtain a copy of nomination papers filed by PTI chairman Imran Khan. A PTI leader had accused the PML-N of being behind the move, alleging that it was in continuation of the favours doled out by Dr Arsalan’s father to the ruling party during the elections.

Citing a Lahore High Court judgment recorded in PLD-1993, the PTI lawmakers said Mr Sharif had been convicted under civil and criminal liability which he had concealed in his nomination papers.

They said that according to a book, Upset 2008, written by Mehmood Sham, Mr Sharif had lied about his agreement with the then government of President Pervez Musharraf to stay in exile for 10 years.

They said he had also taken political bribes as had been proved in the Asghar Khan case and his involvement in the Mehran Bank scandal, which disqualified him under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. This had been concealed in his nomination papers.

They also cited media reports according to which the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had declared Mr Sharif a defaulter and criminally liable and had submitted its reservations to the ECP.

“We as citizens of Pakistan and MNAs wish to exercise our right to know the information placed in the nomination papers of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif from NA-120, Lahore,” the application said.

Asked to comment on the matter, Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rasheed said all the issues raised in the application had been raised in the past on different forums by the prime minister’s political opponents and the courts had adjudicated upon them.

“If they want to do it again, they are free to do it.”

However, he said it was a good omen that instead of street agitation, the PTI had chosen a legal path this time. “We welcome this, but seek a commitment from the PTI that the verdict will be respected,” he said.

The minister said the PTI had a track record of refusing to accept decisions of courts, tribunals and the ECP. He said that while the PTI refused to accept the decisions it went to the same forums again and again. “The party must review its two-faced policy,” he said.

He said the PML-N had responded to the issues raised by its opponents in the past and was still ready to do so.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2014