LAHORE: An election tribunal of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday summoned the Azad Jammu and Kashmir University registrar and controller examinations on November 30 along with the BA degree record of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Malik Riaz from NA-118.
The election tribunal consisting of Justice Azmat Saeed was hearing a petition filed by Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ticket holder from NA-118 Syed Asif Hashmi seeking Riaz’s disqualification Riaz. The petitioner alleged that the PML-N MNA had a fake BA degree and was liable to be declared disqualified under articles 62 and 63 of the constitution.
The university registrar and controller of examination were earlier directed to appear before the local commission appointed by the LHC for recording their statements. Justice Saeed was informed that the university officials have not yet appeared before the local commission for recording their statements. The judge expressing annoyance over the issue summoned the officials.
Separately, Justice Saeed summoned the Islamia University Bahawalpur registrar on a petition seeking disqualification of Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shaukat Manzoor Cheema. Petitioner Ijaz Ahmed Samma had challenged the graduation degree of Cheema. The registrar was earlier directed to appear before the local commission appointed by the LHC for recording his statements but he did not do so on which the court summoned him on the case’s next hearing.
Also on Tuesday, Justice Saeed adjourned until today (Wednesday) the hearing of a petition challenging the graduation degree of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MPA Walayat Shah Khagga from PP-220 Sahiwal. Nazar Muhammad Fatyana, a defeated candidate from the same constituency, filed the petition challenging Khagga’s election. He alleged that the PML-Q MPA had obtained a BA degree from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir campus of the al Khair University, which was not a recognised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The petitioner said that Khagga was not eligible to hold office, as he had a fake degree. On Tuesday, the court granted time to the petitioner’s counsel until November 26 for giving arguments in his client’s support. LHC Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a petition challenging the eligibility of PML-N MPA Khawaja Islam until today (Wednesday).
Petitioner Khawaja Ijaz had filed the petition against Islam’s election from PP-72 Faisalabad alleging that the MPA had rigged the polls.
