The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) presidential candidate Mamnoon Hussain’s nomination papers have been accepted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) despite objections raised during the scrutiny.
Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim secrutinised the nomination papers as a presiding officer. His decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of papers will be final.
Mamnoon Hussain of the PML-N‚ Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and retired justice Wajhiuddin of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) are amongst the 24 candidates who have submitted nomination papers for the coveted slot.
According to media reports, two presidential candidates had raised three objections over Mamnoon Hussain’s nomination papers.
Zahoor Hussain, who is also contesting the presidential election, raised an objection saying that according to Islamic practices Mamnoon Hussain should have a beard.
Zahoor Hussain told the chief election commissioner that Hussain was 65, which was older than the required age for retirement.
Another objection was regarding Hussain’s position in the PML-N as a presidential candidate is required to be free of any party affiliation.
A large number of ECP officials and election candidates are in Islamabad as scrutiny of nomination papers continue.
An alumnus of the Institute of Business Administration from where he graduated in 1965, Mamnoon Hussain is an old loyalist of Nawaz Sharif and remained with the PML-N during the regime of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. He served as the governor of Sindh from June to October 1999 and lost the post after the then army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf toppled the PML-N government in a military coup in Oct 1999.
Hussain belongs to Sindh and lives in Karachi where he owns a textile business.
Nomination papers of Zafar Iqbal Jhagra‚ the covering candidate of Mamnoon Hussain‚ have also been accepted.
The ECP also accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf presidential candidate Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmed’s nomination papers.
Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed is a retired senior judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the central figure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He resigned from the Supreme Court of Pakistan instead of taking oath under Pervez Musharraf’s Provisional Constitutional Order. He was also been nominated by the lawyers community as a presidential candidate against Pervez Musharraf in 2007 elections in Pakistan.
