ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday admitted for hearing a petition challenging the decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to dismiss applications filed against the candidature of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Kulsoom Nawaz for the NA-120 by-election in Lahore.
The apex court has fixed September 18 for hearing the petition, a day after the NA-120 by-poll is scheduled to be held in the constituency considered a stronghold of the Sharif family.
According to a cause list issued by the court, a three-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed will hear the application filed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate for the NA-120 by-poll Faisal Mir on Friday.
In his petition, Mir has submitted that Kulsoom failed to submit full details of her tax returns and statements of assets and liabilities. It says that the wife of the former premier purposely concealed her assets and did not attach her United Arab Emirates Iqama (work permit) with the nomination papers, rendering her ineligible to participate in the by-election under Articles 62 and 62 of the Constitution.
The PPP leader urged the SC to quash the LHC’s September 13 verdict, which dismissed the appeals challenging the acceptance of Kulsoom’s nomination papers.
An LHC three-judge bench had on Wednesday dismissed three identical petitions challenging Kulsoom’s candidature with a 2-1 majority decision.
PPP’s Faisal Mir, Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry and Milli Muslim League’s Nabeel Shahzad had filed the petitions invoking the writ jurisdiction of the high court. They had challenged the decisions of the returning officer and an election tribunal whereby nomination papers of Kulsoom Nawaz were accepted.
The NA-120 by-election is scheduled to take place on September 17, Sunday.
The seat had fallen vacant after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the SC in the Panama Papers case on July 28.