PESHAWAR, March 2: The Peshawar High Court on Friday dismissed a writ petition filed by Awami National Party’s Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour which sought dismissal of an election petition filed against him.

A two-member-bench comprising Justice Ijaz Afzal and Justice Jehanzeb Raheem Khan ruled that the election petition filed against Mr Bilour by rival candidate Justice (Retd) Azam Khan was maintainable. The bench also upheld an order of the election tribunal through which an application filed by Mr Bilour had been dismissed.

Justice (Retd) Azam Khan was a Pakistan Muslim League-Q candidate who lost the March 2006 Senate polls with a narrow margin of two votes on seats reserved for technocrats. Hearing in the case before the election tribunal has now been fixed for March 12.

The petitioner’s counsel had argued that the election petition did not carry Justice Azam’s signature but only that of his counsel. He referred to the case of federal minister Sumaira Malik, stating that the Supreme Court had dismissed a petition last year on almost the same grounds.

He added that on technical grounds the election petition was not maintainable.

In his petition, Justice Azam has alleged that the Karachi University degree possessed by Mr Bilour is a forged one. His other degree — the one reportedly issued by the College of Business Administration, which is affiliated with the Al Khair University — is also a bogus one.

Justice Azam has contended that during the 1993 Senate elections Mr Bilour had mentioned in his nomination papers that he had graduated from Karachi University in 1964, but no degree was attached to the documents. In the 2003 elections, he added, Mr Bilour had mentioned that he graduated in 1969.—Bureau Report