On Sunday, the nomination papers of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, chairman of the Awami Muslim League (AML) and former interior minister, for the NA-62 Rawalpindi by-election were questioned.
Supporter of NA-62 by-election candidate Azmat Mubarak questioned Sheikh Rashid’s nomination papers. He asserted that the charges against the former minister were grave and that he had not reported all of his holdings.
The petitioner accused the Election Commissioner of failing to conduct a competent inquiry, putting doubt on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s “clean, free, and fair election.”
A day earlier, the Returning Officer accepted Sheikh Rashid’s nomination papers for the Rawalpindi constituency NA-62 by-election.
The RO summoned Rashid to participate in the review process, but he could not attend “due to security issues,” according to the election officials. In addition, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, the nephew of the AML chairman and former MNA, stated that the former minister would not attend the RO during telephone chats from prison.
