LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court will on Wednesday (today) take up petitions challenging the decisions of the returning officer and an election tribunal regarding the acceptance ofPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Kulsoom Nawaz`s nomination papers for the by-election in NA-120 constituency.

The bench, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, will also comprise Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza and Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhi. Last week, a petition filed by Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Faisal Mir was fixed for hearing before a full bench headed by Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan, but he had recused himself from the casefor personalreasons.

Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Nabeel Shahzad of the Milli Muslim League (MML), a political party of Jamaatud Dawa, had also filed similar petitions against Ms Sharif.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah constituted a new bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan on Tuesday to decide the petitions.

The petitioners had contended that the returningofficer and the election tribunal had set aside objections against the candidature of Ms Sharif and accepted her nomination papers without looking into the details of their objections regarding the concealment of her assets.

They had alleged that the declaration filed by Ms Sharif regarding assets owned by her husband and herself was false and misleading.

One of the petitioners had also said that Ms Sharif had concealed an FIR, accusing her of committing treason, registered against her during retired Gen Pervez Musharraf`s regime. He had also alleged that the PML-N candidate had concealed her assetsand income in the nomination papers.

Furthermore, he had said, the respondent had declared herself a dependent of her spouse Nawaz Sharif even though she was a shareholder of many companies.

He added that Ms Sharif had failed to disclose the agreement and salary of a UAE Iqama (work permit) attached to her nomination papers. He said the PML-N candidate was a defaulter of agriculture income tax and had concealed details of her Murree residence.

The petitioners had asked the court to set aside the decisions of the RO and the election tribunal and to reject Ms Sharif`s nomination papers for the by-poll in NA-120.

PAT`s plea dismissed The Lahore High Court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition questioning the alleged use of government machinery to secure a victory for the PML-N`s candidate in the NA-120 byelection.

Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) had filed the petition alleging that the provincial government had been using government resources to ensure a victory for Ms Sharif in the by-poll.

He alleged that the government had engaged offi-cials of the police and other departments to rig the election, while several parliamentarians and ministers of the ruling party had been regularly visiting the constituency and announcing development scheme a blatant violation of the code of conduct devised by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The petitioner said that the returning officer of the constituency had been duly informed about alleged irregularities being committed by the leaders of the PML-N but no action had been taken to implement the code. He requested directions to the ECP to take action against the use of government machinery by PML-N leaders and to ensure a fair by-election.

Returning Officer Muhammad Shahid appeared in court on Tuesday and denied the allegations levelled in the petition. He maintained that the code of conduct issued by the ECP was being implemented and that no use of government machinery to favour the PML-N`s candidate had been reported so far.

A provincial law officer also told the court that the petitioner had no locus standi (was not an aggrieved party) to agitate the matter as he had already withdrawn his nomination papers.