The Supreme Court granted permission on Friday for imprisoned PTI President Parvez Elahi to run in the upcoming general elections from PP-32 of Gujrat. The three-member bench, led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and including Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Athar Minallah, overturned the rejection of Elahi’s nomination papers by the Lahore High Court and the election tribunal.
Elahi, a former Punjab chief minister, had initially filed his nomination for the Feb 8 general elections, but his papers were rejected by the returning officers, a decision upheld by both the election tribunal and the Lahore High Court. Elahi subsequently approached the Supreme Court to challenge the LHC ruling.
During the hearing, Elahi’s lawyer, Faisal Siddique, informed the court that they had decided to withdraw the petition for the NA seat, opting to contest the elections on only one seat due to time constraints. Siddique argued that the rejection of Elahi’s nomination papers was based on the claim that he failed to open separate bank accounts for campaigning in different constituencies, a requirement not specified by law.
Siddique further addressed objections about Elahi’s alleged concealment of ownership of a property, stating that the plot in question was acquired when Elahi was in jail, and he had not purchased it. The lawyer emphasized Elahi’s prior experience as chief minister and pointed out that the deadline for declaring assets was June 30, 2024.
Justice Minallah expressed concerns that it appeared as if the caretaker government was involved in rejecting Elahi’s nomination papers, emphasizing that the RO’s role was to facilitate election candidates rather than burdening them. After hearing the arguments, the court declared the rejection of Elahi’s nomination papers null and void, permitting him to contest the elections from PP-32 and directing the authorities to allot him an election symbol.
Additionally, the Supreme Court granted relief to four other PTI leaders, Umar Aslam, retired Major Tahir Sadiq, Sanam Javed, and Shaukat Basra, allowing them to participate in the upcoming general elections after facing various challenges to their candidacies.