Pak election tribunal rejects Musharraf's appeal

A Pakistani election tribunal on Monday rejected former president Pervez Musharraf's appeal against the rejection of his nomination papers for a parliamentary constituency in the southern port city of Karachi.

Musharraf's nomination papers for parliamentary constituency number 250 were rejected after another candidate challenged them on the grounds that the former military ruler had violated the Constitution and sacked members of the superior judiciary during the 2007 emergency.

The tribunal comprising high court judges on Monday rejected Musharraf’s appeal. Musharraf had plans to contest polls from four parliamentary seats but his nomination papers were rejected by Returning Officers in Karachi, Kasur and Islamabad.

Though his papers were accepted in Chitral, several lawyers have filed objections against his candidature. The former dictator has been facing numerous political and legal challenges since he returned to Pakistan last month after nearly four years in self-exile.

Pakistan will go to the polls on May 11 to choose new national and provincial assemblies, marking the first democratic transition in the country’s 66-year history.