RAWALPIDNI: An election tribunal comprising Justice Rauf Ahmad Sheikh and Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench allowed Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, former leader of opposition in the National Assembly, and Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Thursday to contest the elections and dismissed objections against their nomination papers.

On an appeal by former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf against the rejection of his nomination papers, the tribunal issued notices to the returning officer concerned for April 15.

The tribunal took up 71 appeals, accepted six of them and dismissed 14.

Notices were issued to returning officers on 24 appeals and one was referred to the Election Commission.

It cleared PPP’s Ghulam Murtaza Satti for contesting election for NA 50, Murree. Objections against the nomination papers for NA 54 of Zamurad Khan, a former managing director of the Baitul Maal, were withdrawn.

The tribunal reserved its judgement about former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf till Friday.

It referred the matter of Aslam Madhiana from PP 31, Sargodha, to the ECP.

Hearing of an appeal against the acceptance of Hanif Abbasi’s nomination papers was put of till Saturday.

The main objection against Chaudhry Nisar’s candidature was about financial discrepancies. Waheed Khan, through his counsel Tanveer Iqbal, raised objection that he had not mentioned the accurate value of his poultry farm and also had not mentioned one of his sons in the list of his dependents. Chaudhry Nisar’s counsel Akram Sheikh said the son, Taimoor Khan, was financially independent. Another objection was that he had not mentioned the property of a daughter in his nomination forms for the 2008 elections. The tribunal was informed that she was born in 2009.

Regarding an objection that Chaudhry Nisar had mentioned a two-kanal plot as one kanal in his assets, the counsel said his client has a one-kanal plot in the Senate housing scheme but it had not been executed by the government even after receiving advance money. The tribunal dismissed the objections and allowed the PML-N leader to contest the election.

On an appeal against the acceptance of the PTI chairman’s nomination papers, the tribunal upheld the decision of the returning officer that the copies submitted by the objector were not duly testified.

Former law minister Farooq H. Naek represented former prime minister Ashraf before the tribunal against the rejection of his nomination papers for NA 51 by the returning officer because of observations of the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court against misuse of authority by him.

Mr Naek said neither any case against his client had been proved nor NAB had filed any corruption reference against him. Under the constitution his client had the right to contest the elections, he said.

There were two applications against the candidature of Mr Ashraf by former district Nazim Raja Javed Akhlas and Raja Irfan Aziz. The hearing linked to Mr Akhlas’s application was put off till April 13 and the other one till April 15.

Imran Khan has also filed objections against PML-N candidates from Mianwali Abdullah Shadi Khel and Amanatullah Shadi Khel, contending that they are bank defaulters.

Te tribunal adjourned the hearing about the candidature of PTI’s Inamullah Khan Niazi from NA 71 till Friday. The appellant claimed that he was a bank loan defaulter.

SCUFFLE: Activists of the PML-N and PTI got involved in a scuffle while raising slogans for and against their leaders during the tribunal’s proceedings on Chaudhry Nisar’s appeal. Some elders calmed down the charged youths.

Ghulam Sarwar Awan of the PTI is a strong opponent of Chaudhry Nisar in the Taxila constituency, while Syed Intikhab Shah of the PPP is also contesting.