GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court on Wednesday allowed the jailed Awami Workers Party (AWP) leader Baba Jan to contest the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly byelections in Hunza constituency.
On Saturday, the returning officer had rejected nomination papers of the AWP candidate on the grounds that a convicted person serving jail term could not contest byelections.
The by-polls are scheduled to be held on May 28. An antiterrorism court had sentenced Baba Jan along with 16 others to life imprisonment in connection with the Hunza riots case in Sept 2014.
On Tuesday, the AWP had moved the GB Chief Court against the returning officer`s decision.
The two-member division bench comprised Justice Wazir Shakil and Justice Haq Nawaz. The judgment said as the decision of the ATC had been challenged in the chief court, thereby the appellant could not be considered a convict under article 63-H of the constitution of Pakistan. From jail, the AWP leader contested GBLA elections on Jun 8, 2015, obtaining the second largest number of votes.
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