LAHORE – An Appellate Tribunal has addressed objections raised by the registrar’s office concerning a plea challenging the acceptance of nomination papers for NA-130, Lahore, by PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif.
The Tribunal issued a notice to the returning officer responsible for approving Sharif’s nomination papers in the NA-130 constituency.
The appeal, filed by Pakistan Awami Mahaz chief Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhry, was initially returned by the tribunal due to the absence of a certified copy of the returning officer’s order.
Chaudhry’s challenge is centered on the lifetime disqualification of Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court in the Panama case. Despite objections, the returning officer accepted Sharif’s nomination papers from NA-130 last week.
Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, returned to Pakistan in October after a self-imposed exile in London. He is aspiring to contest the upcoming general elections for a fourth term, but significant legal obstacles persist due to his disqualification by the Supreme Court in July 2017 during the Panama Papers case.
After the Supreme Court’s decision, Nawaz Sharif stepped down from the prime minister’s office.
