LHC constitutes bench to hear petitions against Kulsoom's nomination for NA-120

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Chief Justice on Thursday formed a full bench for the third time to decide petitions challenging the acceptance of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s nomination papers for the by-election in NA-120 constituency.

The three-judge bench comprising Justice Qazi Ameenuddin, Ubaidur Rehman Lodhi and Shahid Jameel will hear and decide petitions filed by Pakistan Peoples Party’s candidate Faisal Mir and Pakistan Awami Tehreek leader Ishtiaq Chaudhry.

A day before, the election petitions were referred to LHC chief justice to constitute another bench for their disposal after Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza recused himself from the bench for some reasons.

Last week, the bench was dissolved and the matter was referred to the CJ after Justice Farrukh Irfan declined to proceed with the petitions.

The petitioners have stated that the Pakistan Muslim League-N candidate had kept secret the facts about Iqama and shares in companies. She did inform about holding of Iqama but did not mention the earning through it and details of bank accounts, they said.

Kulsoom is also nominated in a treason case in a Sindh court.

The petitioners said wife of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif advertently hid facts from the nation, hence she was not eligible to contest elections and the decision of approval of her nomination papers by the returning officer should be revoked.

Polling for the by-election in NA-120 constituency of Lahore is set to be held on Sept 17.

Earlier, an election appellate tribunal had rejected the identical petitions of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) challenging the approval of Begum Kulsoom’s nomination papers for the by-election in NA-120.

The election tribunal comprising Justice Mamoon Rasheed Sheikh and Justice Rasheed Sheikh dismissed the petitions after hearing arguments.

Faisal Mir, PTI candidate Dr Yasmeen Rashid, and Ishtiaq Chaudhry challenged the returning officer’s decision of accepting Kulsoom’s nomination papers as the PML-N candidate for NA-120.