A citizen has raised objections to the nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz in Sargodha’s PP-80. The challenger has claimed that Maryam Nawaz’s signature on the nomination papers is fake and that she has been convicted in several cases. The citizen has urged the returning officer to reject her nomination papers from PP-80 Sargodha. Maryam Nawaz has filed nomination papers for six seats in the upcoming general elections. Her nomination papers have been submitted from NA-119 and NA-120 in Lahore, as well as PP-80, PP-159, PP-160, and PP-165. The candidates have filed nomination papers in the first phase of the election schedule until December 24, and their nomination papers are being scrutinized at the ongoing stage.
The upcoming general elections in Pakistan have seen a surge in the number of people applying to the contest, with a 33% increase over the 2018 election. Around 400 non-Muslims have submitted their nomination papers to contest in the provincial assembly, with 361 men and 32 women submitting their papers for the reserved seats for minorities in the provincial assemblies. Similarly, for the National Assembly, 140 men and 10 women have submitted their papers. Several former premiers are contesting from multiple constituencies in the National Assembly, including Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has begun scrutinizing the nomination papers of the candidates. The ECP has also established an Election Monitoring and Control Centre for complaints. The PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers for NA-130 Lahore have been accepted, with no objections raised against them. Speaking to the media, PML-N leader Bilal Yasin said that Nawaz Sharif will emerge victorious from NA-130 on February 8 and will “become prime minister of Pakistan for the fourth time.”