February 14, 2008	Thursday	Safar 06, 1429

PESHAWAR, Feb 13: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition filed by a resident of Kohistan seeking acceptance of his nomination papers to contest election for the provincial assembly seat, PF-62.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Raj Muhammad Khan and Justice Ziauddin Khattak ruled that as the petitioner, Ghulam Said, failed to produce original graduation degree, therefore he could not be allowed to contest polls.

The nomination papers of the petitioner were rejected by the returning officer on the ground that he had not produce original graduation degree.

He filed appeal before the election appellate tribunal of the high court challenging the order of the returning officer. The tribunal provided him few days time for provision of original degree, but he failed to do so after which his appeal was dismissed.

The petitioner stated that he had appeared in graduation examination conducted by Al-Khair University. He stated that the university had yet to grant him the degree.

CASES TRANSFERRED: The high court transferred three writ petitions seeking disqualification of two candidates to the circuit benches at Dera Ismail Khan and Abbottabad.

Two of the petitions were filed by a candidate for PF-64, D.I. Khan, Hafiz Hamdullah Farooq, and a voter of the same constituency, Ahmad Khan, against a candidate, Khalifa Abdul Qayyum, stated to be a provincial leader of banned organisation, Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan.