Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday said high treason charges should be taken up against anyone found responsible for delaying the polls due to be held on July 25.
Abbasi was speaking to the media outside the Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court (LHC), where he had appeared for the hearing of an appeal filed against his candidature from NA-57 Murree constituency.
The former prime minister said that the nation, not courts, decide the fate of elections.
Responding to a question about fielding candidates against former PML-N member Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Abbasi commented that the party had made the decision. "The party's decision is our decision," he said.
Abbasi is contesting on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's ticket from NA-53, as well as his home constituency of NA-57 Murree. His nomination from Murree has also been challenged in the Rawalpindi appellate tribunal.
Petitioner Masood Ahmed Abbas had challenged Abbasi's candidature, accusing him of extorting money from the national exchequer. The petitioner had alleged that the candidate, during his tenure as the prime minister, had obtained Rs1 billion from the national kitty and given the amount to his son to perform Umrah.
During the lunch recess of the hearing, Abbasi spoke to the media outside the court. He said that a returning officer could not challenge a candidate’s affidavit. “The returning officer has to take the affidavit on face value,” said the former prime minister, stressing that only nations could decide the fate of elections.
