BAHAWALPUR: The number of appeals against the rejection of nomination papers submitted to the Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench appellate tribunal has risen to 194 during the last three days.

According to LHC sources, the appeals expected to be decided till Jan 10 have been filed by the candidates belonging to seven districts of Multan, Vehari, Lodhran, Muzzafargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakpattan, Sahiwal and Layyah.

Prominent among are former foreign minister and PTI vice-president Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his son Zain Qureshi and daughter Mehrbano Qureshi, former federal minister Zartaj Gul, PML-N’s leader Tehmina Daultana, Shabear Qureshi, and Ibrahim Khan.

The hearing of appeals of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his son and daughter are expected to be heard on Jan 6.

Meanwhile, the tribunal has accepted the appeal of Yasir Altaf from Chichawatni (PP-143) and allowed him to contest election while the appeal of Multan’s Binyamin Sajid was dismissed and the decision of RO rejecting his papers was upheld.

PRESSER: Former MPA Qasim Langah (NA-153), PTI ticket holder Shazia Kaki (PP-231) and Malik Muhammad Akram (Pp-224) from Jalalpur Peerawala in a joint press conference at the Multan press club announced to contest Feb 8 election as independent candidates.

They claimed that despite offers from several political parties including IPP, they formed their own group a nd preferred to contest independently in the present political scenario.

ENCOUNTER: A wanted criminal Danial alias Cheetah was seriously wounded in an alleged police encounter near Pull Jhakri Skindar that falls under the limits of Muzzafaraabad police station in Multan. After his arrest, he was hospitalized.

IUB: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has granted permission to Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) to start an M.Phil programme in Homeopathic Medical Science.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2024