Election tribunals in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore are currently reviewing appeals lodged by candidates whose nomination papers were initially declined.
In Karachi, the Tribunal dismissed the nomination papers of Sarwat Ejaz Qadri from Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi from Pakistan Rah Haq Party. However, the appeals against the candidates’ rejection by various political parties were approved after Justice Adnan Al Karim Memon highlighted the unnecessary basis for their rejection by the returning officers. The Sindh High Court, acting as an Election Tribunal, heard the appeals filed by returning officers to reject certain candidates’ nomination papers.
Justice Adnan Al Karim Memon expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of these returning officers, emphasizing that action should be taken against them for unjustified rejections. He questioned whether the Election Commission had provided proper training to these officers and whether any actions had been taken against them. The Director Law Officer mentioned providing three days of training to the returning officers and assured that the Election Commission holds the authority to take action against those who err in their duties.
Moreover, the Election Tribunal made decisions on several candidates, approving appeals for some independent candidates and members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to contest the elections. However, it rejected appeals from others, including notable figures like Fahmida Mirza, Zulfiqar Mirza, Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, and Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi.
Moving to Lahore, the Appellate Tribunal overturned the decision of the Returning Officer (RO) and rejected the nomination papers of candidates like Arsalan Hafeez, Sohail Afzal Mir, Hafiz Hamid Rizwan, Amar Ali Jan from Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sardar Haroon Ahmed Ali, and Mian Azhar from NA-129 Lahore. However, the tribunal upheld the RO’s decision to reject Ibad Farooq’s nomination papers while dismissing his appeal.