SWABI, Oct 14: Swabi Zila Nazim Sher Zaman Sher claimed in a   written statement, submitted to the election tribunal in reply to a writ that his matric certificate was fake, that he had passed his matriculation from a college in Afghanistan.

He stated that after the promulgation of the NWFP Local Bodies Ordinance 2001, the single-bench election tribunal had no jurisdiction   to hear the case.

The tribunal, comprising district and sessions judge Abdul Mateen Khan, will hear the case on Oct 20.

The Awami National Party leader and runner-up in the Zila Nazim  election, Jehanzeb Khan, filed a petition in the tribunal that Sher had submitted a fake matriculation certificate and that he should be disqualified.

In his written reply, Sher Zaman Sher claimed that he had passed his matriculation examination from Khushhal College in Afghanistan and that the certificate found attached with the nomination papers had not been submitted by him.

The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Peshawar, has already informed the tribunal that the controversial certificate had not been issued by the board and declared the certificate as fake.

The Zila Naib Nazim, Mohammad Jamil, advocate, told Dawn that Sher Zaman had stated in his written reply that if required by the election tribunal, he could produce an equivalent certificate.

He said the case had taken a new turn with the promulgation   of the NWFP Local Bodies Ordinance and the incumbent court was not authorized to hear the case.

“The case was filed on Aug 20 under section 71 of the NWFP Local Bodies Election Rules 2000, which was repealed on Aug 14, 2001, when the new ordinance was promulgated”, Jamil said, adding that under the new law the case was not maintainable and that the chief election commissioner was empowered under section 161 of the new ordinance to hear such cases.