ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Latif Khosa has alleged that nomination papers from a staggering 90 percent of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates have been rejected.
Latif Khosa, while speaking on a TV channel, Khosa claimed that this mass rejection stands in stark contrast to the PML-N, where only a single candidate had faced rejection across the country.
Khosa asserted that PTI candidates are prepared to engage in a robust legal battle against the rejection of their nomination papers. Despite the setback, he highlighted the presence of strong alternative candidates within the party.
The ongoing scrutiny of nomination papers by the Election Commission has been a subject of controversy, with PTI alleging widespread rejection of its candidates on December 30. Media reports confirm that even central figures within PTI, including Imran Khan, have had their nomination papers rejected.
Prominent leaders such as Shah Mahmood Qureshi faced rejection in National Assembly Constituencies NA 151 and 150, while his sons Zain Qureshi and Mehrabano also encountered a similar fate. Azam Khan Swati’s nomination papers from Mansehra constituency NA 15, and Zulfi Bukhari’s from NA 50 Attock were not spared either.
Irfan Khan, Imran Khan’s cousin and PTI candidate from PP-90 in Punjab, saw his nomination papers rejected due to the non-availability of an endorser and attestor. Other notable rejections include Sheikh Rashid and Rashid Shafiq from NA-57 Rawalpindi, as well as the papers of PTI’s Colonel Ajmal Saber from Constituency NA-53 in Rawalpindi.
The list of rejections extends to various constituencies, including those of Umar Tanveer, former Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja, Ali Muhammad Khan, Hamad Azhar, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Jameel Asghar Bhatti, Atif Khan, Musrat Jamshed, and Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, among others.
Notably, the rejection of nomination papers has sparked concerns and debates within the political landscape, as key figures from the ruling party face potential exclusion from the electoral race. As PTI vows to contest these rejections through legal means, the electoral process continues to unfold with heightened scrutiny and anticipation.
