KARACHI, July 23: Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah on Monday sent a reference against a minority MPA, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, to the chief election commissioner.

The reference was filed by advocate Amar Lal who claimed that the graduation degree attached by Mr Chawla to his nomination papers was fictitious. Mr Chawla returned to the assembly on a minority seat reserved for the Hindu community after getting a PPP ticket.

The complainant further claimed that the degree actually belonged to Mukesh Kumar Bansari an employee of Mr Chawla, and was issued by the Sindh University in 2000. It was submitted in the reference that Mr Chawla should, therefore, be declared disqualified.

After receiving the reference and subsequent submissions by the respondent and the advocate general Sindh, the speaker sent the reference to the chief election commissioner under Article 63 and 63(2).