Pakistani election officials have rejected an application by Shahbaz Sharif, brother of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, to contest the elections in October.

Neither the papers were duly attested nor the signatures verified

Electoral tribunal

A two-member election tribunal in Lahore said Mr Sharif had acted as guarantor for a bank loan defaulter, and was therefore ineligible to run for office.

At the same time, the tribunal also rejected the candidacy of Nawaz Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, on a technicality.

The BBC's Shahid Malik in Lahore says the ruling means in effect that the Sharif family, a political dynasty in Pakistan, will have no representation in the October vote.

Shahbaz Sharif had applied to stand in one seat for the National Assembly and two for the Punjab provincial assembly.

His candidacy was originally accepted, but has been overturned on appeal. A written judgment giving detailed reasons for the rejection is expected.

The former Punjab chief minister recently took over as leader of the Pakistan Muslim League after new laws barred his elder brother from returning for a third term in office.

Bhutto out

Both the Sharifs, with their families, live in exile in Saudi Arabia.

Though the opposition Muslim League is identified with Nawaz Sharif's name and is officially known as PML (N), the move to elect Shahbaz Sharif as party president did not come as a major surprise.

Since the former prime minister has been convicted in at least two criminal cases - including one on charges of corruption - he cannot lead a political party under new election laws enacted by the Musharraf government.

Shahbaz Sharif lives in Saudi Arabia

Pakistan's other best-known civilian politician, former premier Benazir Bhutto, has also had her bid to stand in the elections rejected.

On Thursday Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was found guilty of taking bribes and sentenced to seven years in jail.

He and Ms Bhutto were convicted of corruption in 1999, but the guilty verdicts were later set aside and a re-trial ordered.

The polls are the first at national level since General Musharraf took over in a coup in 1999.

The Pakistani leader says he is committed to returning the country to democracy.

But opposition parties say he is not sincere, citing restrictive new election laws and controversial plans to change the constitution.