Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Pervaiz Rashid has been declared ineligible for participation in the upcoming Senate elections, following the rejection of his appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers by a returning officer.
The verdict was issued on Tuesday by a one-member bench of Justice Shahid Waheed after the arguments in the case had concluded.
Following the verdict, the former senator spoke to media and said he is unsure of whether his case can be further appealed.
“Lawyers say it can be appealed, but I am not convinced,” he said. “I may not move to seek justice for myself.”
He also said that he had expected the tribunal to direct him to pay his dues today, rather than disqualifying him. He added that the Punjab House management refused to take payment from him when he approached them to pay his dues.
Pervaiz Rashid had last week appealed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s decision to reject his nomination papers for the Senate elections. In his appeal, Rashid stated that the returning officer of the ECP “unlawfully rejected the nomination papers,” adding that he was willing to deposit Rs 9.5 million to the administration of the Punjab House as required by the ECP for the purpose. However, he claimed he did not receive the related bank details from the Punjab House.
According to a list released by the Punjab government in 2018, Rashid was amongst the people to not have clear his dues for staying and taking meals at the Punjab House. Per the list, Rashid owed a sum of Rs 7.05 million. The list also mentioned that his daughter, Poonam Rashid, owed Rs 2.7 million.
An objection against Pervez Rashid had been filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarian Zainab Omar.
