ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday approved PML-N candidate Anjum Aqeel’s candidacy for the upcoming NA-48 by-elections.
Schoolteacher-turned real estate agent-turned real estate developer Khan, who was embroiled in slew of controversies during his term as MNA will now be competing against PTI’s Asad Umar, who is also supported by the Jamaat-e-Islami who withdrew their candidate in support.
Earlier today, the ECP had summoned all 22 candidates contesting the capital’s NA-48 constituency regarding the hearing of Khan’s case.
Khan, who was elected Member National Assembly (MNA) from NA-48 in 2008, ran for the May 11 general elections from the same seat on a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ticket, but finished second to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Javed Hashmi by a 21,000 vote margin. Hashmi later vacated the seat in favour of his home constituency in Multan.
On Monday, two commission members — Justice Shahzad Akbar from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Justice Fazlur Rehman from Balochistan — had heard the case in which Khan has claimed that his nomination papers were withdrawn on July 29 without his consent.
The PML-N was expected to award the NA-48 ticket to former Rawalpindi MNA Hanif Abbasi. However, a day before the July 30 deadline to withdraw nomination papers, the party decided against Abbasi because of resistance within the party against his candidacy.
By that time, Khan’s nomination papers had also been withdrawn, allegedly by his legal counsel without his consent.

Source: Express Tribune