Former Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf on Sunday joined the list of candidates whose nomination papers for the May 11 general elections were rejected during scrutiny. Meanwhile, former dictator Pervez Musharraf managed to stay in the race with his papers being accepted in Chitral in north-west Pakistan >after being rejected in two constituencies .
Mr. Ashraf’s papers were rejected by the returning officer for NA-51 (Rawalpindi) for misappropriation of funds and nepotism. His native place, Gujar Khan, falls within this constituency.
As for General Musharraf, his papers were earlier rejected for the elections to the Kasur and Karachi National Assembly seats on the basis of complaints filed against him for his alleged role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and declaration of emergency in 2007.
Several politicians have been knocked out of the reckoning by the returning officers for not meeting the strict standards for a legislator prescribed in Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.
