January 19, 2002	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 4, 1422

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TIMERGARA, Jan 18: A majority of the former parliamentarians from upper and lower Dir districts, who returned to the National Assembly in general elections held from 1970 to 1996, has become disqualified after the federal cabinet decision fixing graduation as the minimum educational qualification for the candidates of the lower house of the parliament.

In the 1970 general elections, Sahibzada Faseehullah returned to the National Assembly and Dr Yaqub Khan became member of the provincial assembly from Dir district. Sahibzada was Munshi Fazil, while Dr Yaqub was intermediate.

It may be mentioned here that the Dir district was bifurcated into two districts, Upper Dir and Lower Dir, in 1996.

In the party-less general elections held in 1985, Jamaat-i- Islami leaders Maulana Gohar Rehman and Maulana Inayatur Rehman won the two National Assembly seats (NA-25 & NA-26).

Following the cabinet decision on educational qualification for candidates of parliament, all former MNAs and MPAs, except a few, who had returned to the NA on different party seats, cannot contest elections in future.

The educational qualification of some former MNAs are: Sahibzada Faseehullah of JI (Munshi Fazil), Sahibzada Fatehullah (primary), Malik Muzaffar Khan of PPP (under-Matric), Najmuddin Khan (Matric), Hanif Khan of PPP (graduate) and Ahmad Hassan Khan (graduate), Haji Inayat Khan (primary) and Alhaj Mohammad Khan (primary).

The former MPAs’ educational qualification is as follows: Dr Yaqub of JI (Intermediate), Syed Sardar Alam Bacha (middle school), Malik Behram Khan (under-Matric), Sahibzada Tariqullah (graduate), Anwar Khan (Matric), Shah Haroon (under-Matric), Dr Inayatul Haq (graduate), Dr Zakirullah (graduate), Hamidullah (Matric), Bakht Baidar Khan (Intermediate), Sultanat Khan (under-Matric), Amanullah (no education), Malik Jehanzeb (Matric), Malik Hashim Khan (Matric) and ANP’s Haji Bahadur Khan (under-Matric).