NA-133 by-poll: Appeal of PTI’s Cheema, wife for nomination papers rejected

Election Tribunal has maintained decision of returning officer who rejected duo’s nomination papers for by-poll

Picture source - PID

An election Tribunal on Friday maintained the decision of the returning officer (RO) who rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Jamshed Cheema and his wife’s nomination papers for NA-133 by-election, and dismissed the appeal of the latter against the said rejection.

The order was passed by Justice Shahid Jameel – who was leading the election tribunal – after hearing arguments of both sides.

Last week, a returning officer rejected nomination papers of Jamshed Cheema and his wife, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, as their proposer was from outside their constituency. Both Cheema and his wife had engaged Bilal Hussain as their proposer for the nomination papers in order to contest the by-election of NA-133.

Jamshed Cheema and his wife had filed an appeal before the tribunal through his counsel Advocate Qazi Mubeen, submitting that the details of the proposer were submitted on the basis of the voter’s registration and it was not the fault of the appellants.

The counsel argued that the amendment in the nomination papers was allowed under the law.

Cheema had challenged the RO’s decision before the election tribunal through his counsel and claimed that the proposer belonged to the same constituency. He said that the RO rejected their nomination papers by ignoring the facts.

He had asked the tribunal to set aside the decision of the ECP and allow them to contest the by-election of NA-133.