SC allows Fawad Ch to contest election from NA-67

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court dismissed a petition for the disqualification of PTI leader Fawad Ch, allowing him to contest the election from NA-67 Jhelum. On June 27, an election tribunal rejected nomination papers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry from NA-67 Jhelum. However, the Lahore High Court (LHC) accepted Chaudhry’s plea and allowed him to contest the upcoming general election. The judge had remarked that the petitioner instead of filing a new appeal against Chaudhry should have challenged the approval of nomination papers. Last month after being barred from contesting the election, the PTI leader had moved the LHC against an appellate election tribunal’s decision restraining him from contesting from NA-67. Chaudhry’s nomination papers from NA-67 were rejected during a hearing of an appeal filed by PJDP’s Fakhar Abbas Kazmi against the acceptance of the PTI leader’s nomination papers by the returning officer. Kazmi had objected, saying that Chaudhry had not paid agriculture tax on his land. On the other hand, PTI candidate Maj Tahir Sadiq was allowed to contest the elections from NA-56 and 55. Meanwhile, the court also cleared Saira Afzal Tarar, the PML-N candidate from NA-87, for the elections.