Pakistani election officials have rejected former prime minister Ms Benazir Bhutto's nomination to stand in October elections.
"She has been convicted by the anti-graft court [on corruption charges], therefore she is not qualified to contest the elections," election commission official Mr Akhlaq Hussain Ladak told a courtroom in Larkana, about 720 miles southwest of Islamabad.
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Ms Benazir Bhutto
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But a lawyer for Ms Bhutto, Mr Ayaz Soomro, accused the election authorities of "double standards" and said he would challenge the decision before an election tribunal.
Hundreds of Bhutto supporters who had gathered outside the court reacted angrily to the decision, chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf, witnesses said.
Ms Bhutto, who lives in self-imposed exile in London, was nominated as candidate in two towns in her native Sindh province.
Yesterday, poll officials in Lahore gave preliminary approval to ousted prime minister Mr Nawaz Sharif to contest the October 10th polls. They said no one had objected to his nomination, even though the military government has said Mr Sharif, like Ms Bhutto, would be arrested if he returned from exile to Pakistan.
In July, Ms Bhutto was sentenced to three years in prison by a special court for failing to appear before it to answer corruption charges. Mr Musharraf, who ousted Mr Sharif, in a bloodless coup in October 1999, has decreed convicted persons cannot contest polls and that premiers who have served twice before cannot run for a third term.
Mr Nawaz and Ms Bhutto have served twice as premier, and Mr Nawaz was convicted of corruption after being overthrown.
AFP
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