PESHAWAR: Court to hear case about age of female PPP candidate
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Jan 23: An additional district and sessions judge on Tuesday admitted for full hearing a revision petition filed by the Peshawar Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education challenging acceptance of application of a Pakistan People’s Party female candidate regarding her age.
The judge, Gohar Rehman Khan, also put on notice the candidate, Ms Ayesha Gulalai, and fixed Feb 2 for next hearing.
The candidate, whose nomination papers were rejected by the provincial election commissioner on the ground that she had not attained 25 years of age, a precondition for contesting elections.
Her name was mentioned in the priority list of candidates issued by the PPP for the reserved seats for women for the national and provincial assembly from NWFP.
Ms Gulalai had filed a civil suit before a civil court stating that her exact date of birth was July 5, 1982, whereas in her educational documents and school register it was erroneously mentioned as Oct 5, 1986.
She added that the same incorrect age was mentioned in her national identity card on the basis of which her nomination papers were rejected by the election commission. He requested the court to issue directives for correcting her age.
She had also filed an application praying that she should be referred to a standing medical board for ascertaining her exact age. A civil judge cum judicial magistrate, Tilla Muhammad Khan, had accepted that application on Dec 27 during winter vacations when he was performing as MOD (magistrate on duty).
Advocate Shakeela Khan appeared for the BISE and contended that the subordinate court had accepted the said application without issuing notice to them. She contended that it was against the principle of natural justice to condemn a party unheard.
