Appellate Tribunal allows Sanam to contest senate election

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court’s Appellate Tribunal granted permission for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter Sanam Javed to participate in the Senate elections, following her successful appeal on Friday.

Sanam had contested the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan, which initially rejected her nomination papers. The tribunal upheld her appeal against this rejection.

Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan, presiding over the tribunal, delivered the verdict that had been reserved on Thursday after arguments from both parties were concluded.

The court directed the Election Commission to add Sanam Javed’s name to the list of candidates eligible to contest the Senate elections.

It’s worth noting that Sanam Javed, a PTI activist, is presently incarcerated due to several cases against her arising from violent protests on May 9, which were sparked by the arrest of a former prime minister at the Islamabad High Court premises.

In a separate development, PTI candidates Murad Saeed, Azam Swati, and Khurram Zeeshan lodged appeals with election tribunals after their nomination papers for the Senate elections were rejected.

In their appeals submitted to the Peshawar election tribunal, Saeed, Swati, and Zeeshan argued that the Election Commission had dismissed their nomination papers based on unfounded allegations.