July 06, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 9, 1427

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PESHAWAR, July 5: Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has removed Lakki Marwat tehsil nazim Faridullah Khan. The notification was issued on Monday by Local Government Department Secretary Dr Hamad Owais Agha under section 132(4) of the NWFP Local Government Ordinance, 2001, after the approval given by the chief minister.

It may be mentioned that the Peshawar High Court had issued an order restraining the government from taking any action against the nazim.

“This is a clear case of contempt of the court and we will move an application in this regard,” said Advocate Qazi Mohammad Anwer, the counsel for the nazim.

Mr Anwer told Dawn that the court had restrained the government from taking any further action against the nazim.

The nazim was suspended by the chief minister on April 5 over the issue of fixing an inauguration plaque at the Lakki Marwat Sports Complex. A nazim could be suspended for a maximum period of three months. The suspension period of Mr Khan was going to expire on July 5.

An official handout said that the decision was taken by the provincial government after an inquiry corroborating different kinds of allegations levelled against Mr Khan.

The allegations levelled against him by the government are “misconduct, participation in political gatherings, creating law and order situation in his constituency, interfering in the provincial government’s affairs, disobeying chief minister’s orders and working against the rules and regulations of LG Ordinance and his involvement in other dislikable activities”.

Mr Khan has challenged his suspension before the Peshawar High Court and the hearing has been fixed for July 6.

On June 20, a two-member bench of the court had admitted his petition to full hearing and restrained the respondents, including the provincial government and local government commission, from taking any adverse action against him.

The petitioner has claimed that on March 8, the district government had arranged a ceremony where MNA Anwer Kamal Marwat inaugurated a sports complex and a plaque carrying his name was fixed there. He had stated that the chief minister got annoyed over the inauguration and he ordered the DCO concerned to fix his plaque instead of that of Mr Kamal. The authorities, he added, replaced the plaque overnight.

The nazim said area people got infuriated and took out a procession and removed the chief minister’s plaque. He said he was charged of leading a mob towards the DCO office, whereas he had pacified the people.