ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has dismissed two identical petitions questioning a verdict of the Lahore High Court (LHC) that allowed Begum Kulsoom Nawaz to contest the NA-120 by-election.

The petitions, filed by PPP and PAT, were rejected by a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, a day after former prime minister’s wife won the seat which fell vacant after her husband was disqualified by five judges in the Panama Leaks case.

Both parties stated in the petitions that the PML-N candidate had kept secret the facts about the resident certificate of UAE and shares in companies.

“She [Kulsoom] deliberately hid facts from the nation, hence she is not eligible to contest elections and the decision of approval of her nomination papers by the returning officer should be revoked,” the petitioners stated.

It is pertinent to mention here that Begum Kulsoom Nawaz won the NA-120 by-election yesterday with 61, 254 votes, defeating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s candidate Dr. Yasmin Rashid who secured 47,066 votes.