PESHAWAR, Dec 9: The court of a senior civil judge, Peshawar, has fixed Dec 12 for hearing a civil suit filed against forthcoming elections of the Pakistan Medical Association.

The suit was filed by provincial president of PMA Dr Hussain Ahmad Haroon, requesting the court to declare the holding of the PMA elections for the year 2002-04 scheduled for Dec 13 to 15 in Peshawar as illegal, without lawful authority and against the procedure given in the constitution of the association.

The plaintiff has requested the court to issue a decree against the defendants, restraining them from holding election for the office of PMA president and to direct them to fix another date for the election.

The petition maintained that the association had not followed the prescribed rules for the elections.

According to the petition, the PMA elections are held after every two years in the Centre and provinces. The plaintiff stated that the turn of each province came after eight years as per practice and the memorandum of understanding reached among the members of the association.

He stated that according to the constitution of the association, the central president of the association would be elected at the biennial meeting of the Pakistan Medical Association. The secretary-general is required to invite the branches and members of the association to nominate one member of the association with at least five years standing for the office of the president.

The plaintiff claimed that he sent his nomination papers for the post of president, but his papers were not accepted as according to the defendants his papers reached the office after the last date.

The defendants in the case are Pakistan Medical Association, secretary-general of PMA Sher Shah, and Dr Umer Ayub Khan.

The plaintiff claimed that on Nov 16 a letter was issued in which it was stated that Dr Umer Ayub was elected unopposed. He added that another letter was issued by the election authorities on Nov 20, in which it was stated that a central councillors meeting would be held on Dec 13 for electing the office bearers.

He added that the said meeting would be merely an eyewash, which proved the mala fide intentions of the election authorities of the association.