Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will contest from three seats in next year’s general elections. Imran Khan’s lawyer himself gave this information.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday said former Prime Minister Imran Khan, lodged in Adiala jail, will contest the upcoming general elections from three constituencies.
On August 5, an Islamabad trial court convicted Imran in a case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and sentenced him to three years in prison.
This decision meant that he was disqualified from contesting general elections for five years. However, in the same month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended Imran’s three-year sentence but he is still in jail in other cases.
Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court had reserved its verdict on Imran’s plea seeking suspension of his sentence in the Toshakhana gift case.
Imran Khan’s lawyer Ali Zafar told the media outside Adiala jail, “Imran Khan wants to tell that he will contest elections from at least three constituencies of Pakistan.”
According to the report of ‘Dawn’ newspaper, Zafar said that the Islamabad High Court may soon give its verdict on Khan’s petition challenging the conviction in the Toshakhana case. “We are hopeful that the verdict will be announced soon as the (election) schedule has been released,” he said.
Barrister Zafar said all PTI workers have been instructed to file their nomination papers as the country has entered election mode.
“As far as PTI candidates are concerned, our jailed workers, who have made sacrifices for the party in these difficult times, will be allotted 100 per cent tickets on priority basis,” he said. Barrister Zafar said, “The remaining candidates have also been finalized and their names will be announced soon.”
Nawaz Sharif will contest from NA-15 of Mansehra
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (retd) Safdar has claimed that party supremo Nawaz Sharif will contest the upcoming elections from NA 15 of Mansehra. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, PML-N chief organizer Maryam Nawaz’s husband Safdar said the former prime minister will submit his nomination papers for the National Assembly seat “NA 15 Mansehra-cum-Torghar” by December 21 (Thursday).
The development comes as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has started receiving nomination papers from prospective candidates who are set to contest the elections to be held on February 8, 2024. Nawaz’s name is included in the list of nomination forms issued to the candidates of the said constituency. The PML-N supremo decided to file nomination papers from NA-15 as the constituency is considered a stronghold of her party which had won the seat in the 2013 and 2018 elections.
Nawaz, who returned to Pakistan in October after four years in ‘exile’, is leading the party’s election campaign with an eye on a fourth term as the country’s prime minister. Since his return, the three-time prime minister has had his conviction in the Avenfield and Al Azizia references quashed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). However, following his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case, Nawaz needs to lift his lifetime ban on holding any public office to qualify to contest the upcoming elections.