January 22, 2008	Tuesday	Muharram 12, 1429

LAHORE, Jan 21: The Lahore High Court (LHC) sought record of the cases on Monday about the alleged involvement of independent candidate Chaudhry Abid Raza, candidate for PP-115, Gujrat, in anti-state activities. The case will be heard on Wednesday (tomorrow).

Petitioner Raza challenges the order of the returning officer and an election tribunal against the rejection of his nomination papers on objections from his brother, Shahid Raza.

The petitioner said the returning officer and the election tribunal declared him ineligible to contest the election for his alleged involvement in a murder case and anti-state activities.

His brother alleged that Raza was involved in a murder case and a terrorist declared by the Home Department. Petitioner’s counsel Shahzad Shaukat said on Nov 27 his client left the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the Punjab Home Department issued a notification against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

The counsel said the government victimised his client because of his decision to leave the PML-Q and contest the election independently. He said the returning officer and the tribunal failed to examine the evidence on the bases of which the home department had declared his client a terrorist.

He said the action of the home department was against the law and carried out in the absence any first information report against him. He added his client was acquitted in the murder case after compromise with the complainant.