By Xinhua
Islamabad : Pakistan’s former prime minister Benazir Bhutto Friday faced a legal appeal challenging her qualification to contest the upcoming general elections, officials said.
One of her rival candidates earlier filed objections to her nomination papers for the national assembly seats, News Network International news agency reported.
Saifullah Abro of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) party challenged the former prime minister’s nomination papers, and called on the election officials to reject her papers.
Abro argued that Bhutto had been convicted in several corruption cases and that according to rules a convicted person could not stand for election.
Bhutto filed nomination papers for two national assembly seats in her home district of Larkana in southern Sindh province.
Early this week, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers were rejected by the election officials on the ground that Sharif was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on the charges of plane hijacking and corruption.
The election commission, which has set up special tribunals to decide appeals against nomination papers, will make a decision on legal challenge to Bhutto’s nomination papers by Dec 10.
The election commission will issue a final list of candidates on Dec 16.