February 02, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 23, 1429

BAHAWALPUR, Feb 1: The Lahore High Court (LHC) declaring the graduate degree of former member of the National Assembly (MNA) Sardar Aamir Yar Warren as fake ruled that his past five years’ tenure as MNA was void.

The respondent’s graduate degree was challenged by Hafeez Ahmed in 2003 but its judgement was announced by Justice Saghir Ahmed of the LHC Bahawalpur Bench, on Friday.

Petitioner’s counsel Mumtaz Hussain Bazmi said Warren’s graduate degree in commerce purported to be issued by Jamshoro University was bogus. The Jamshoro University later declared it fictitious.

Warren was also a candidate for the Feb 18 elections. He filed his nomination papers as independent candidate for NA-184 and PP-269.

Also, a single member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, disposed of the writ petition by PML-N candidate Makhdoom Ali Hassan Gilani from NA-183 with the instruction that the petitioner file a fresh writ in the election tribunal of the LHC.

According to Gilani’s counsel, the CJP has also directed the LHC to decide the writ by Feb 6.

The petitioner challenged the orders of the returning officer, who had rejected his nomination papers on the Tehsil Municipal Administration’s objections that Gilani had failed to pay arrears worth Rs300,000. The counsel said he would move a fresh writ in the LHC’s election tribunal.

LOAN FOR FARMERS: Bank of Punjab President Hamesh Khan has announced provision of loans and tractors up to Rs500,000 to sugarcane growers on personal surety provided local sugar mill furnish a guarantee for them.

Addressing a seminar at Ashraf Sugar Mills, he said the bank introduced 29 schemes for farmers and spent Rs7 billion in the past year on agriculture in south Punjab.