The returning officer of NA-130 Lahore accepted the nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday.

The RO, Asghar Joya, completed the scrutiny of the papers, allowing the PML-N chief to contest from the constituency in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8.

No objections were against Nawaz’s nomination papers.  

Speaking to the media, PML-N leader Bilal Yasin said Nawaz will emerge victorious from NA-130 on February 8 and will “become prime minister of Pakistan for the fourth time”.

“All legal obligations are fulfilled in Nawaz Sharif’s case,” lawyer Amjad Parvez informed the media and added that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had established a portal for the scrutiny of nomination papers.

“Nawaz has fulfilled all the requirements available on the election commission’s portal,” Parvez said and added the RO was satisfied with all requirements.

The former premier will now contest against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Dr Yasmin Rashid and 22 other candidates for NA-130.

Read PML-N names for reserved seats upper hand of Maryam Nawaz

The PML-N supremo has also submitted nomination papers for NA-15 Mansehra, however, they have yet to be accepted by the local RO. .

Legal conundrum

The former premier was disqualified in the Panama Papers case in July 2017 by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC).

The judges of the apex court had ruled that Nawaz had been dishonest to the parliament and the courts in not disclosing his employment in a Dubai-based company in his 2013 nomination papers, and thus, could not be deemed fit for his office.

Later, an accountability court awarded him 10 years imprisonment in the Avenfield apartments and seven years in Al-Azizia references. However, he has been acquitted in both cases by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

However, before the general elections in 2024, the SC will resolve the contradiction between the judicial decision and the parliamentary legislation on whether disqualification under Article 62 of the Constitution means for life or five years.