LAHORE: As political parties intensify their election campaigns, Captain (retd) Safdar, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has asserted that the party’s leader Nawaz Sharif plans to compete in the upcoming elections for the NA 15 seat in Mansehra.
Safdar, who is the husband of PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, conveyed to the media on Wednesday that the former prime minister intends to submit his nomination papers for the National Assembly seat “NA 15 Mansehra-cum-TorGhar” by December 21 (Thursday).
This development coincides with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) commencing the acceptance of nomination papers from potential candidates for the scheduled polls on February 8, 2024.
Nawaz’s name is among the nominees for the said constituency, sources said.
Nawaz’s decision to file nomination papers from NA-15 is strategic, considering it is regarded as a stronghold of the PML-N, having secured the seat in the 2013 and 2018 elections. Since his return to Pakistan in October following a four-year self-imposed exile, Nawaz has actively led the party’s election campaign, aspiring to secure a fourth term as the country’s chief executive.
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Despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) quashing his sentences in the Avenfield and Al Azizia references, Nawaz faces a hurdle due to his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers Case.
To qualify for the upcoming polls, he requires the removal of the lifelong ban on holding any public office.
In a parallel announcement, the rival Pakistan Tehreek-s-Insaf (PTI) disclosed that its founder, Imran Khan, currently incarcerated and disqualified by the ECP in the Toshakhana case for corrupt practices, plans to contest general elections from at least three constituencies — Lahore, Islamabad, and Mianwali.
The Election Commission, following the Supreme Court’s directives, unveiled the election schedule on December 15, dispelling rumors of delays after the court suspended the Lahore High Court’s ruling against the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district returning officers (DROs).
