May 5, 2006	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 6, 1427

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PESHAWAR, May 4: Two former MPAs of Jamaat-i-Islami on Thursday moved the Peshawar High Court challenging their resignations on the basis of which their assembly seats had been declared vacant by the speaker.

Provincial minister Raja Faisal Zaman and ex-MPA Malik Hayat Khan filed writ petitions requesting the court to declare their resignations illegal and unconstitutional and set aside the notification issued by the assembly’s secretary on May 2 declaring their seats vacant.

A two-member bench of the high court will take up for hearing the two petitions on May 9. Advocate Yahya Afridi filed the petition on behalf of Raja Zaman, whereas Barrister Masood Kausar represented Malik Hayat.

A committee of the Jamaat, constituted for inquiring into allegations of sale of votes during the Senate election, had announced their expulsion from the party on May 2 and sent their resignations to the speaker.

The same day the speaker accepted their resignations and a notification was issued by the secretary declaring their seats vacant.

The notification was sent to the Election Commission.

The petitioners stated that they had never tendered resignation and the acceptance of the resignations was illegal and unconstitutional. They stated that resignation should be voluntary.

Petitions of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam MPAs Maulana Dildar Ahmad, Gorsaran Lal, Rukhsana Raz and Yasmeen Khalid challenging their resignations are also pending before the high court.