LHC allows Aleem to contest election

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition against Aleem Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and allowed him to contest election from NA-129, Lahore.

The petitioner, Assistant Director Old-Age Benefit Institution, Iftikhar Mazhar, pleaded that the PTI's leader was defaulter of the institution to the tune of Rs 9.7 million. He said the objection was raised before the returning officer and the appellate tribunals but both the forums ignored the fact and accepted the nomination papers of Aleem Khan.

He, therefore, asked the court to set aside the impugned decisions and reject nomination papers of Aleem Khan. The court after hearing the petitioner's counsel at length dismissed the petition for being not maintainable.

A full bench of the LHC reserved verdict on multiple identical petitions on a point whether a voter could become proposer or seconder to a candidate from other constituency.

Several candidates had filed the petitions against the rejection of their nomination papers by returning officers on the basis of having proposers and seconders outside their respective constituencies. The petitioners sought direction for the Election Commission of Pakistan to allow them an opportunity to file their nomination papers a fresh.