An appellate tribunal within the Lahore High Court dismissed Imran Khan's appeal on Wednesday, upholding the decision made by the returning officer to reject his nomination papers for the NA-122 constituency.
Justice Tariq Nadeem affirmed the RO's initial rejection of Imran's nomination papers, which had been declined for both a National Assembly constituency in Lahore and his hometown of Mianwali on December 30, 2023.
This ruling transpired on the final day designated for addressing appeals related to the acceptance or dismissal of nomination papers for the upcoming February 8 general elections.
Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, faced rejection of his nomination papers by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for two National Assembly constituencies—NA 122 (Lahore) and NA-89 (Mianwali).
The returning officer cited Imran Khan's conviction, stating that his proposer and seconder did not belong to NA-122, a necessary criterion as per the objection raised by Mian Naseer of PML-N.
The RO's detailed verdict highlighted Imran Khan's disqualification for five years under Article 63/1-F due to a corruption case, specifically the Toshakhana case, decided by an additional session judge. Additionally, objections raised by PTI's Naseer Ahmed regarding the PTI founder's nomination papers were deemed valid and reasonable.
