PESHAWAR, April 13: An election tribunal of the Peshawar High Court has fixed April 17 for hearing two petitions challenging election of Senators Ilyas Ahmad Bilour and Azam Khan Swathi against seats reserved for technocrats.

The tribunal has issued notices to respondents in the petitions filed by Justice (retd) Azam Khan, a leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League who suffered defeat in the polls.

In the petition against Mr Bilour, the petitioner stated that the Karachi University’s graduation degree possessed by Mr Bilour was forged. He said that a degree of Master’s issued to Mr Bilour by the College of Business Administration was also bogus.

The petitioner pointed out that during the 1993 Senate elections Mr Bilour had mentioned in nomination papers that he had graduated in 1964 from the Karachi University, but he had not attached a copy of his degree with the nomination papers. In the 2003 elections, he said, Mr Bilour mentioned that he had graduated in 1969.

As for his Master’s degree, the petitioner said, the president of the Traders Association, Haji Haleem Jan, had sent his documents for verification and the principal of the said college informed that Mr Bilour had never studied in his college.

The petitioner said Mr Bilour was not entitled to contest the polls as he was not a graduate, a condition mandatory for contesting the polls.

The petitioner said that Azam Swathi, who contested the polls on the ticket of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), was not a technocrat. He said Mr Swathi had dual citizenship of USA and Pakistan and had visited Pakistan on the US passport. He said Mr Swathi claimed that he was an attorney, but he had never practices law.

He said Mr Swathi was not eligible to contest polls and he had, in fact, purchased the Senate ticket and thus indulged in horse trading.