LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Thursday allowed a dual nationality holder candidate, Khawaja Muhammad Naseer of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf, to contest upcoming cantonment board elections.
A returning officer had disqualified Naseer on the application of his opponent Zahid Nasim Shamsi and an election tribunal (the appellate forum) also upheld the decision of the returning officer.
As the proceedings commenced, a deputy attorney general informed the court that under local bodies’ laws, a dual national might contest election.
The court allowed him to contest election in Sialkot Cantonment board from Ward No 1 and set aside the previous decision.
Khawaja Naseer, the petitioner, argued through his counsel that RO and appellate tribunal declared him disqualified under article 63 of the Constitution which was illegal and unconstitutional. He pointed out that under article 63 dual nationality holder was ineligible to contest general election but the same law does not applicable to the local bodies’ election.
Under cantonment board ordinance, Pakistani nationality is the only requirement for contesting election and no restriction is imposed on dual nationality holder candidate, he argued.