KARACHI, Sept 12: The election appellate tribunal reserved on Thursday judgments on the appeals of Benazir Bhutto, chairperson of the PPP and former prime minister, and Ghinwa Bhutto, chairperson of the PPP (Shaheed Bhutto), against the rejection of their nomination papers.

The tribunal No 2, comprising Justices Syed Zawwar Hussain Jafferi and Mohammed Sadiq Leghari, fixed Friday for the pronouncement of the judgment after hearing the arguments advanced by their counsel.

Besides, the tribunal No. 1, comprising Justices Mohammed Roshan Essani and Mohammed Moosa K. Leghari, disallowed Mian Ijaz Shafi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), from contesting the forthcoming election.

The former prime minister had filed two appeals against the rejection of her nomination papers from NA-207 and NA-204 as she had been convicted in absentia under section 31-A of the National Accountability Bureau for avoiding the court proceedings against her.

Her counsel, Abdul Hafiz Lakho and Farooq H. Naek, argued that Benazir Bhutto was convicted and sentenced in absentia without trial. They argued that their client had gone abroad with the permission of Lahore High Court and that the accountability court had no power and jurisdiction to pass an order under section 31-A of the NAB.

The counsel also contended that the Article 65-P of the Legal Framework was promulgated with mala fide intention to disqualify her and it was not applicable in her case.

They said she was neither convicted in the case, nor sentenced so far in the main case pending against her. “The conviction and sentence is always an outcome of the trial and in her case the trial never took place. She was neither indicted in the case”, They concluded.

A number of PPP supporters raised pro-Benazir slogans and left the courtroom, packed to capacity, as the tribunal reserved the judgment after hearing the arguments. The tribunal expressed its annoyance with the PPP workers for not maintaining the decorum of the court.

Ghinwa Bhutto had filed appeal against the rejection of her nomination papers from NA-204. The returning officer had rejected her papers as she had failed to establish her educational qualification as required by the election laws.

Meanwhile, the tribunal No 1 allowed the appeal of Mohammed Ishaque, better known as Sathi Ishaq, against the acceptance of nomination papers of Mian Ijaz Shafi.

Sathi Ishaq had called in question the veracity of the BA degree of the PML (N) leader he had purportedly obtained from Calcutta University in 1966.