Lahore High Court's appellate tribunal on Saturday accepted former finance Minister Ishaq Dar's nomination papers for the Senate election after hearing arguments on an appeal against the Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) rejection of the documents.

The former federal minister had challenged the ECP's rejection of his Senate election nomination papers on Thursday.

According to Dar's lawyer, his papers were rejected without reason, and requested that the tribunal nullify the returning officer's rejection of Dar's nomination papers.

Hearing the lawyer's arguments in the case, the tribunal upturned the ECP's decision and accepted Dar's nomination papers.

On Monday, the election body had noted that Dar was a court absconder in a corruption and money-laundering reference pending against him in an accountability court, subsequently rejecting his nomination papers.

The appeal on Dar's behalf, filed on Thursday with the tribunal, stated that the returning officer rejected his papers even though all the legal requirements were fulfilled.

67-year-old Dar, who is currently in London undergoing medical treatment, was declared an absconder by an accountability court in December last year in a corruption reference after he repeatedly failed to join the trial. He is being probed on charges of amassing assets beyond his known sources of income.

Opinion

Editorial

Pahalgam aftermath
24 Apr, 2026

Pahalgam aftermath

A YEAR after at least 26 people were killed in a terrorist attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, ties ...
Real estate power
24 Apr, 2026

Real estate power

THE latest round of land valuation revisions by the FBR for tax purposes signifies a familiar pattern that ...
Ad astra
Updated 24 Apr, 2026

Ad astra

AMONG the many developments this month that Pakistanis can take pride in is the news that one of their own will soon...
Ceasefire extension
Updated 23 Apr, 2026

Ceasefire extension

THOUGH the US has extended the Iran ceasefire — thanks largely to effective Pakistani diplomacy to prevent sliding...
Climate & livelihoods
23 Apr, 2026

Climate & livelihoods

THE latest ILO report estimates that around 3.3m jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods — significantly...
Virtual courts
23 Apr, 2026

Virtual courts

THOUGH routine activities in Islamabad have been greatly hindered amidst security preparations for another round of...