Ishaq Dar allowed to contest Senate polls

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench on Friday dismissed a petition against former finance minister Ishaq Dar's candidature for Senate polls.

The bench comprising Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh and Justice Jawad Hassan heard the petition, filed by Pakistan People's Party's candidate Nawazish Ali.

The petitioner's counsel had claimed that the former finance minister had been declared an absconder by the court, so he could not contest elections in light of the Constitution. He pleaded with the bench to restrain Ishaq Dar from contesting the polls.

However, Dar's counsel contended that the petition was not maintainable as the petitioner was not an aggrieved person. He submitted that the respondent was not an absconder in any criminal case.

At this, the bench agreed with arguments of respondent counsel and dismissed the petition being non-maintainable. The bench held that the petitioner was not an aggrieved party as he did not raise objection against Ishaq Dar's candidature at the time of filing of his nomination papers.

On Feb 12, a returning officer had rejected Dar's nomination papers for the elections. However, Ishaq Dar challenged the RO decision before an LHC election tribunal, which allowed him to contest the elections after accepting his nomination papers.