LAHORE: The nomination papers of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), were accepted from National Assembly constituency NA-127, here on Saturday.
The returning officer concerned rejected the objections raised against the eligibility of the PPP chairman.
Talking to the media outside returning officer’s office, PPP leader Zulfiqar Ali Badr confirmed the development.
Earlier, the counsel for Bilawal Bhutto submitted an agreement about election alliance, between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentarians (PPPP), to the returning officer. As per agreement, both parties would take part in elections on a joint election symbol, arrow.
A day ago, a written reply to the objections on nomination papers of Bilawal Bhutto was also submitted to the returning officer by a legal advisor. The reply stated that the objector was not a voter of NA-127 but a resident of Narowal, adding that he lacked the standing to raise the objection.
It further submitted that
there was a mistake in the nomination papers of Bilawal Bhutto where Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians had been written. He said that it was a human error, adding that it could be corrected as per election rules.
A citizen, Muhammad Ayaz, had filed objections against Bilawal Bhutto’s nomination papers, stating that Bilawal Bhutto, in his papers for NA-127, pledged allegiance to the PPPP whereas he himself was the chairman of the PPP.
He stated that both were distinct political parties with separate election symbols. He further submitted that Bilawal Bhutto was the Chairman of PPP and Asif Zardari was the President of PPPP.
He argued that as per the Elections Act 2017, a person could be a member of one party at a time. The nomination papers of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as a candidate of the PPPP were being filed against the Elections Act, he added.
The returning officer had reserved the verdict on nomination papers of Bilawal after hearing arguments of both sides on Thursday.