HARIPUR: An election candidate for the National Assembly seat here has objected to the nomination papers of former PTI minister Yousuf Ayub Khan insisting that first, the latter has a lifetime disqualification from holding public office and second, he didn’t mention his foreign employment in his papers.

Returning officer Humaira Mehmood asked the complainant, Asad Usman, to produce an attested copy of Mr Yousaf’s UAE iqama (work permit) by Dec 30.

Mr Yousuf, the first cousin of PTI’s central leader Omar Ayub Khan, had filed nomination papers for contesting the Feb 8 elections in NA-18 and PK-46 constituencies here.

During the scrutiny of papers, Asad Usman, another candidate from the constituency, raised two objections about the papers of Mr Yousuf and sought their rejection.

He insisted that in 2013, an election tribunal and the Supreme Court disqualified Mr Yousuf from holding any public office all through his life and that he was later de-seated as a member of the provincial assembly.

Mr Usman also claimed that Mr Yousuf worked as a “messenger” at the Ajman-based Ayoon Al Shams Car Wash LLC company for the monthly salary of AED3,000 but didn’t disclose that information in his nomination papers.

He produced documents insisting Mr Yousaf was hired by that company for two years (from July 6, 2023, to July 6, 2025).

However, Mr Yousuf’s counsel led by Khursheed Azhar rejected the “details” of their client’s foreign employment.

They insisted that the “documentary evidence” produced by Mr Usman was just a photocopy that couldn’t be accepted as a valid document.

About lifetime disqualification of their client, the lawyers said a similar case of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was pending with the Supreme Court, so until that matter was decided, nomination papers of their client couldn’t be rejected.

Mr Yousuf, a grandson of military ruler Field Marshal Ayub Khan, had won the 2013 general elections from his native constituency of PK-50 Haripur-I (now PK-46) as a PTI candidate and was made a communication and works minister in CM Pervez Khattak-led cabinet.

However, he was disqualified by an election tribunal under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution from holding public office on the complaint of his rival, Qazi Mohammad Asad Khan, over a degree issue.

Those constitutional articles require the holder of a public office to be honest and truthful.

The Supreme Court upheld the decision leading to Mr Yousuf’s de-seating.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2023