SUKKUR: Several petitions were filed in the Sukkur bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday challenging the election tribunal’s decision to restore nomination papers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidates and a number of independent contestants belonging to influential Mahar family for by-election on NA-205.

The tribunal had lately allowed PPP’s Sardar Mohammad Bux Khan Mahar, independent Sardar Ahmed Ali Mahar, independent Haji Khan Mahar and a covering candidate of PPP, Abdul Bari Pitafi, to contest by-polls scheduled for July 18.

The petitions had made Election Commission of Pakistan, returning officer concerned, election tribunal and candidates as respondents.

The National Assembly seat NA-205 had fallen vacant after the death of federal minister for narcotics control Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar.

Applicant Aitzaz Pitafi and others said that independent candidate Sardar Ahmed Ali Mahar was chairman of union council who did not resign from his seat on time before filing papers. He therefore was not eligible to contest the election, he argued.

Fida Hussain Mahar has filed a petition in SHC against the tribunal’s decision to restore nomination papers of Abdul Bari Pitafi and asked the court to withhold it and stop Pitafi from contesting the by-election.

Meanwhile, provincial leadership of PPP arrived in Ghotki and held a meeting in Jam House, Adilpur, to discuss election activities for NA-205 by-elections.

PPP candidate Sardar Mohammad Bux accompanied by Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Abdul Bari Pitafi arrived in Raharki where they met spiritual leader of Hindu community Sadh Ram and appealed to him to use his clout in favour of PPP candidate Mohammad Bux Mahar.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2019