Contractor challenges nomination of JUI leader for Senate seat

Nasir Ahmad Khan filed the `objection petition` with the tribunal headed by Peshawar High Court Justice Mussarat Hilali. Under the schedule announced by the provincial election commissioner, who is the returning officer for the Senate polls in the province, the appellate tribunal shall decide the appeals and objection petitions until Feb 17. The final list of candidates will be released afterwards. Candidates can withdraw theirnomination papers by Feb 19. The petition filed through lawyer Ameenur Rehman Yousafzai said the returning officer had accepted the nomination papers of former lawmaker Gul Naseeb Khan as the JUI-F candidate against the Senate`s general seats. The petitioner alleged that Maulana Gul Naseeb was involved in misappropriation of government funds in his previous Senate tenure. He claimed that Gul Naseeb had utilised his developmental funds through his brother, Zar Naseeb Khan, in connivance with PWD office in Batkhela through falce notices inviting tenders, which was evident from a consolidated charge sheet of the judge of the Accountability Court No IV on Sept 26, 2017, wherein the brother of Gul Naseeb was nominated as the accused. He said Gul Naseeb was allegedly involved in corruption and corrupt practices and therefore, his nomination deserved to be rejected by the returning officer. The petitioner claimed that the nomination papers of Gul Naseeb were filed on the basis of fake power of attorney given to a person carrying the date of Feb 7 and that he was himselfabroad at that time. He said the election schedule was announced on Feb 2 and on that date, even he was abroad. The petitioner said under the law, a proper authority letter duly attested from the consulate of Pakistan in the country of destination should have been prepared for submission of nomination papers in question but such mandatory procedure had not been followed rather fake authority letter had been prepared on a blank but signed paper of Gul Naseeb, which attracts the provisions of Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan. The respondents in the petition are provincial election commissioner, Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, chief engineer (North) PakPWD, Islamabad, and returning officer for Senate polls in KP. There are 32 candidates for 11 Senate seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under three categories. Of them, 18 are in the running for seven general seats, six for two seats reserved for technocrats and eight for two reserved for women. Polling for the Senate elections will be held on Mar 3 on the premises of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.–Dawn]]>