ISLAMABAD, Nov 30: Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Qazi Mohammad Farooq has constituted nine tribunals for hearing appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers of candidates for coming general elections.

According to Election Comm-ission secretary Kanwar Moha-mmad Dilshad, each tribunal will have two high court judges.

Appeals against decisions of returning officers in NA-I (Pesha-war-I) to NA-47 (Tribal Areas-XII), PF-I (Peshawar-I) to PF-99 (Malakand Protected Area-II), reserved seats for women in the national and provincial assemblies from the NWFP and reserved seats for minorities in the NWFP assembly will be heard by a tribunal comprising Justice Jehanzaib Rahim and Justice Salim Khan of the Peshawar High Court.

Justice Abdul Shakoor Piracha and Justice Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah of the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, will hear appeals in NA-48 (Islam-abad-I) and NA-49 (Islamabad-II), NA-50 (Rawalpindi-I) to NA-63 (Jhelum-II), PP-I (Rawalpindi) to PP-27 (Jhelum) and reserved seats for minorities in the National Assembly.

Appeals in NA-64 (Sargodha-I) to NA-94 (Toba Tek Singh-III) and PP-28 (Sargodha-I) to PP-90 (Toba Tek Singh-VII) will be heard by Justice Hamid Farooq and Justice Syed Asghar Haider of the Lahore High Court, Lahore.

A tribunal of Justice Zahid Hussain and Justice Fazal-i-Miran Chohan of the LHC will decide appeals against returning officers’ decisions in NA-95 (Gujranwala-I) to NA-117 (Narowal-III) and PP-91 (Gujranwala-I) to PP-136 (Narowal-V).

Justice Muzammal Khan and Justice Sardar Mohammad Aslam of the LHC will hear appeals in NA-118 (Lahore-I) to NA-147 (Okara-V), PP-137 (Lahore-I) to PP-193 (Okara-IX), reserved seats for women in the national and provincial assemblies from Punjab and reserved seats for minorities in the Punjab assembly.

Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi and Justice Syed Hamid Ali Shah of the LHC will hear appeals in NA-148 (Multan-I) to NA-197 (Rahim Yar Khan-VI) and PP-194 (Multan-I) to PP-297 (Rahim Yar Khan-XIII).

Justice Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui and Justice Dr Rana Mohammad Shamim of the Sindh High Court will hear appeals in NA-198 (Sukkur-Shikarpur-I) to NA-217 (Khair-pur-III), NA-226 (Mirpur-khas cum-Umerkot-I) to NA-230 (Tharparkar-II), NA-234 (Sanghar-I) to NA-236 (Sanghar-II), PS-I (Sukkur-I) to PS-42 (Qambar- Shahdadkot-II), PS-60 (Tharpar-kar-I) to PS-70 (Umerkot-II), PS-78 (Sanghar-I) to PS-83 (Sanghar-VI) and reserved seats for minorities in the Singh assembly.

Appeals in NA-218 (Matiari-cum-Hyderabad) to NA-225 (Badin-cum-Tando Mohammad Khan-II), NA-231 (Jamshoro) to NA-233 (Dadu-II), NA-237 (Thatta-I) to NA-258 (Karachi-XX), PS-43 (Matiari) to PS-59 (Badin-cum-Tando Mohammad Khan-II), NA-231 (Jamshoro) to NA-233 (Dadu-II), PS-71 (Jamshoro-I) to PS-77 (Dadu-IV), PS-84 (Thatta-I) to PS-130 (Karachi-XLII) and reserved seats for women in the national and provincial assemblies from Sindh will be heard by Justice Khawaja Naveed Ahmed and Justice Khalid Ali Z. Qazi of the SHC.Justice Amanullah Khan and Justice Akhtar Zaman Malghani of the Balochistan High Court will hear appeals in NA-259 (Quetta) to NA-272 (Kech-cum-Gwadar), PB-1 (Quetta-I) to PB-51 (Gwadar), reserved seats for women in the national and provincial assemblies from Balochistan and reserved seats for minorities in the Balochistan assembly.

Returning officers have to complete scrutiny of nomination papers on Dec 3 and appeals against their decisions can be filed up to Dec 7. The election tribunals have to decide the cases till Dec 14.