LHC rejects PPP’s plea to stop Ishaq Dar from contesting Senate poll

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday rejected a plea seeking to cancel candidacy of former finance minister Ishaq Dar for Senate elections.

A two-member full bench conducted hearing on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nawabzada Nawazish Ali’s plea during which the petitioner said that Dar is a proclaimed accused in the Panama papers case due to which he cannot participate in the elections. The claimant requested the court to annul the verdict of allowing the former minister to contest the Senate polls.

Subsequently, the court dismissed the plea and upheld its decision.

In the petition, he contended that the decision by an appellate tribunal of the LHC on Dar’s appeal against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was a breach of law after granting him permission to take part in the Senate polls.

The petitioner pleaded with the bench to pass an injunction against Dar’s nomination papers and debar him from contesting the Senate elections.

Dar’s lawyer argued that the petitioner hadn’t approached the Returning Officer over objections to his client’s nomination papers, thus the petition is inadmissible.

The bench then dismissed the petition filed by the PPP leader and allowed former finance minister Ishaq Dar to take part in the Senate elections.

Previously in February, the ECP had rejected Dar’s nomination papers for not providing a verified declaration of election expenses. However, the court had then allowed Dar to contest the elections after filing a plea.