The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected objections on the nomination papers of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

According to the details, Returning Officer Zafar Iqbal Malik announced the reserved verdict today. Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) candidates Syed Ali Muhammad Bukhari and Farid-ur-Rehman challenged Yousuf Raza Gilani’s nomination papers, on which ECP reserved its verdict on Wednesday.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, a joint candidate of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) from Islamabad, belongs to the PPP.

He served as the prime minister from 2008 till June 19, 2012 when the Supreme Court disqualified him for the contempt of court.

The PDM – an 11-party opposition alliance formed with the avowed aim to dislodge the PI government – claims that the election of Gilani from one of the two Senate seats of Islamabad will be like a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Starting its scrutiny process, the ECP on Wednesday accepted nomination papers of eight candidates for two Islamabad seats.

It rejected the nomination paper of an independent candidate due to dual nationality while reserving order on the papers of Gilani.

It should be mentioned here that the candidates whose nomination papers were accepted include PTI’s Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Farid Rehman, Ali Bukhari, Fauzia Arshad and Nayyara Javed and PML-N Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Farzana Kausar and Farah Akbar. No one raised objections to their nominations.