December 06, 2007	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 25, 1428

MARDAN, Dec 5: Nomination papers of 20 candidates of various constituencies, including former provincial minister Hafiz Akhtar Ali, were rejected for various reasons on Wednesday.

In PF-28, the nomination papers of three candidates – former provincial minister Hafiz Akhtar Ali, ANP leader Zakir Shah and Mohammad Daraaz Khan – were rejected.

The credentials of the proposer and seconder of Hafiz Akhtar Ali were found to be incorrect, while Zakir and Daraz Khan had failed to produce their original bachelor degrees. Hafiz Akhtar was the irrigation minister during the MMA government in the province.

On PF-23, the nomination of Sohail Khan, an independent candidate, was rejected because his documents were not signed by the proposer and seconder. On the same seat, the nomination papers of Asad Khan advocate of PkMAP and PML (N)’s Syed Inayat Ali Shah Bacha were rejected as the former had not resigned from the slot of naib nazim of union council Kaskuroona, while the latter had failed to resign from the slot of the nazim of Union Council Dagai.

An independent candidate for PF-24, Syed Fazal, was also disqualified from contesting the election as his proposer and seconder had not signed the nomination papers. The papers of another independent candidate for PF-24, Sawar Khan, were rejected because he could not produce his original bachelor’s degree.