LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday, granting interim relief to Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) emir Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, allowed him to contest by-election from PP-78 Jhang.
The bench also issued notices to the respondents for December 14 for further hearing.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had earlier announced to hold by-polls in the constituency on December 1.
The judge issued the interim order on a petition by Ludhianvi, challenging a decision of a division bench that held him disqualified from contesting the by-polls.
The Punjab Assembly’s seat fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Rashida Yaqoob of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for concealing assets, upholding a decision of an election tribunal in October this year.
She was elected to the assembly in 2013 election and runners-up candidate Ludhianvi had challenged her qualification in the apex court.
On a petition by PML-N candidate Sheikh Sheraz Akram, the LHC had restrained both Rashida Yaqoob and Ludhianvi from contesting the by-polls.
Ludhianvi challenged the decision and contended that the cases registered against him were not in his knowledge at the time of filing of nomination papers. He requested the court to set aside the single bench’s order.
