According to members of The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected Saturday nominations for the Pakistan general election of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from two constituencies: Lahore and Mianwali.
The returning officer for NA-122, which encompasses Lahore, issued a verdict on Sunday according to local media, rejecting Khan’s nomination papers on “moral” and other grounds. According to the officer, the rejection was based on Articles 62 and 63 (1h) of the Constitution of Pakistan, which bans those convicted of crimes of “moral turpitude” from serving in Pakistan’s parliament. The officer noted that Khan’s recent conviction in a corruption case had not been suspended or set aside by any court. Several other leaders from PTI have also faced rejection of nominations for the upcoming February general elections according to local media, including former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Parvez Elahi and Fawad Chaudhry.
This marks another setback for the PTI in the lead-up to the general elections. In August, former PM Imran Khan was convicted in the Toshakhana corruption case, which alleged Khan sold state gifts. Recently, the ECP revoked PTI’s election symbol, a decision later temporarily suspended by the Peshawar High Court. Despite a favorable Supreme Court verdict, which had come just before the suspension of their election symbol, directing the ECP to ensure a free and fair election environment, the PTI contends that the ECP is not adhering to the court’s directives, leading to the filing of a contempt of court petition. Additionally, the ECP has filed a review petition in the high court against the suspension order regarding the election symbol.
The PTI has announced its intention to challenge the rejection of nomination papers for its candidates. According to PTI’s Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan, all rejected papers will be challenged. Sardar Azeemullah Khan, PTI Central Punjab Additional General Secretary, stated that the party has instructed candidates to file appeals against the decisions of Returning Officers (ROs).
