The Returning Officer for constituency No. PP-09 (Gujar Khan) rejected the nomination papers of a candidate belonging to PML(N) for General Elections 2024. The Returning Officer held that the candidate is disqualified because he has defaulted in payment of gas charges of about 57 million Rupees to SNGPL in connection with a CNG station.
Ch. Imran Hassan Ali was instructed to file an appeal against the rejection order.
On 04-01-2024, the Appellate Tribunal comprising of the Honourable Mr. Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf allowed the appeal and accepted the nomination papers. The tribunal held that the Returning Officer has no authority to declare a candidate defaulter in the absence of a determination of his liability by a court of competent jurisdiction, in this case the Gas Utility Court.