LAHORE, Sept 13: The PML(N) declared here on Friday that it would move the Lahore High Court against the rejection by an election tribunal of nomination papers of Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Begum Kulsoom Nawaz for various constituencies of the city.

Simultaneously, it said, the party would launch a protest campaign and mobilize the masses.

Punjab president Zulfiqar Khosa, central vice-president Mushahidullah Khan, provincial secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Sharif family lawyer Ashtar Ausaf Ali and spokesman Farrukh Shah addressed a news conference at which the announcements were made.

Advocate Ashtar said the tribunal’s decision was illegal. Unlike the superior courts, he said, the tribunal judge could not make a verbal announcement of his decision and was required to give it in writing.

So far, he said, no copy of the verdict had been made available to him.

He said although a writ against the decision could be filed anytime, he would not like to waste a single minute to knock at the door of the Lahore High Court.

Mr Khosa said the Sharif family had cleared all its bank loans in 1998 after which it had been given clearance certificate. But, he said, it was astonishing for him that the nomination papers of two important members of the Sharif family had been rejected for default.

He said there were people who had their bank and cooperatives loans worth millions of rupees written off and were still contesting the elections.

He said the government had already declared that it would not allow the Sharifs and Ms Bhutto to take part in the elections and the tribunal’s decision against the Sharif family members was in line with the government’s plan.

Khwaja Saad Rafiq criticized the verdict, saying it would affect the credibility of the judiciary and discourage the subordinate judges.