Benazir Bhutto faced a legal challenge to her nomination papers for the Jan 8 parliamentary polls, with a rival candidate filing objections with election officials.
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Friday faced a legal challenge to her nomination papers for the January 8 parliamentary polls, with a rival candidate filing objections with election officials alleging that the PPP leader had been convicted in several corruption cases.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson had filed nominations papers for two National Assembly seats in her home district of Larkana in southern Sindh province.
Saifullah Abro, Bhutto's rival from the ruling PML-Q party, challenged her papers and asked election officials to reject them. Abro argued that Bhutto had been convicted in several corruption cases and according to rules, a convicted person cannot stand for election.
The Election Commission (EC) has set December 7 as the last date for filing objections to the nomination papers of candidates. The EC is expected to give a decision on legal challenge to Bhutto's nomination papers by December 10.
Abro also referred to the rejection of the nomination papers of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the grounds that he was convicted and given a life imprisonment term on charges of hijacking and terrorism.
The nomination papers of Shahbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the brother of Sharif, have also been rejected due to his alleged involvement in the extra-judicial killing of five youths when he was the chief minister of Punjab province in 1998.
The EC has established special tribunals to decide appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers by December 14. The poll panel will issue a final list of candidates on December 16.
Bhutto left for Dubai early Friday to meet her children and ailing mother there. She is expected to return in three to four days.
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