The Supreme Court has admitted for hearing a petition against a Lahore High Court (LHC) decision to dismiss applications challenging the candidature of PML-N candidate Kulsoom Nawaz for the NA-120 by-election.
The top court will hear the petition on September 18, a day after the NA-120 by-poll is scheduled to be held.
The PPP nominee for the NA-120 by-poll, Faisal Mir, had challenged the LHC verdict in the apex court on Friday. According to a cause list issued by the court, a three-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed will hear his application.
Mir has stated in his plea that Kulsoom failed to submit full details of her tax returns and statements of assets and liabilities. She purposely concealed her assets and did not disclose a United Arab Emirates iqama (work permit) attached with her nomination papers, therefore she is ineligible to participate in the by-election under Articles 62 and 62 of the Constitution, the application said.
The PPP leader has urged the SC to quash the high court's September 13 verdict, which dismissed the appeals challenging the acceptance of Kulsoom's nomination papers.
An LHC full bench with a 2-1 majority decision had on Wednesday dismissed three identical petitions challenging Kulsoom's candidature.
PPP's Faisal Mir, Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Nabeel Shahzad of the Milli Muslim League (MML) had filed the petitions invoking the writ jurisdiction of the high court. They had challenged the decisions of the returning officer and an election tribunal whereby nomination papers of Kulsoom Nawaz were accepted.
The NA-120 by-election is scheduled to take place on September 17. The parliamentary seat had fallen vacant after Nawaz was disqualified under Article 62 of the Constitution in the Panamagate case by the Supreme Court.
