KARACHI, Sept 16: Four petitions were filed on Monday by candidates to the National Assembly and the Sindh Assembly with the High Court of Sindh challenging rejection of their nomination papers or disqualification from contesting the general elections.

The petitions were filed by Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi of the SDA, Fahmeeda Mirza of the PPP (NA, Badin), Qazi Amjad Abbasi of the PPP (PS, Badin) and Syed Iqbal Shah (NA, Karachi).

According to PPP sources, appeal by Ms Benazir Bhutto, chairperson of the PPP, is likely to be filed on Tuesday.

A special division bench of the SHC, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Shabbir Ahmed, allowed the first election appeal filed by a candidate, Khuda Bakhsh Nizamani.

The petitioner moved the court against the decision of the Election Tribunal (ET), comprising Justice Zawwar Husain Jafery and Justice Mohammed Sadiq Leghari of the SHC, which set aside the order by the returning officer. The RO rejected an objection moved by Wapda according to which Mr Nizamani is a defaulter.

The ET barred the petitioner from contesting the general elections from NA-234 as a defaulter of Wapda to the tune of Rs3.4 million.

Counsel for the petitioner, filing the petition with the SHC, submitted that the petitioner held only 7 per cent shares in Khairpur Textile Mills of which he was one of the directors.—APP