Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief and former premier Benazir Bhutto today sought international attention by moving the UN alleging that her nomination papers were rejected by the military regime in an arbitrary manner. Bhutto has also found support with the opponents of Pakistan’s military government who warned that her rejection as an election candidate could cause instability. Imran loses poll bid as degree ‘not certified’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan election officials have rejected cricket legend Imran Khan’s bid to run for Parliament from one of three constituencies in which he has been nominated, a party spokesman said. Election authorities turned down the cricketer-turned-politician’s application to run as a candidate in Bahawalpur in Punjab province, spokesman for Khan’s Tehreek-i-Insaf party said. Khan’s nomination was rejected because a copy of his degree from Oxford University was not certified. ‘‘It was such a petty reason, ridiculous,’’ Nyazee said of the decision after a rival candidate complained to returning officers that Khan had not provided a certified copy of his Bachelor’s degree. (PTI) ‘‘The rejection of her papers was a travesty of justice,’’ central coordinator of the human rights desk of PPP said in a letter to Dato’ Param Cumaraswamy, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. Bhutto alleged in her letter that her papers were declared as rejected by the state radio even before the poll officials scrutinised them. Bhutto said, ‘‘the premises for disqualifying our senior leaders are flimsy and do not carry any legal weight. They are aimed at eliminating a strong political leadership from the country making politics and political parties appear ridiculous.’’ The rulings against Bhutto are subject to an appeals process lasting until September 12, but appeared to virtually extinguish an already dim prospect of her contesting the October 10 elections. Pakistan’s main alliance of minority groups denounced the rejection of the nominations, saying the government had introduced laws specifically to bar Bhutto from the elections. Chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, Shahbaz Bhatti, called the decisions ‘‘a sheer violation of the law of the land.’’ ‘‘In order to continue the presidential dictatorship and give cover to unconstitutional acts, the military rulers are stopping the way of Bhutto, under whose leadership the people have decided to build a better Pakistan,’’ he said in a statement. Spokesman for PPP, Farhatullah Babar, said it would appeal against the decisions and stressed that the party is sticking to its plans to contest the election. Babar said he did not know if Bhutto would now try to return, but added: ‘‘Any decision by Bhutto doesn’t signal that the election would be boycotted.’’ Babar said Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, had succeeded in alienating a broad spectrum of the population and was treading a dangerous path.
