February 25, 2008	Monday	Safar 17, 1429

KHANEWAL, Feb 24: A local court on Saturday summoned former federal minister for state and newly-elected MNA from NA-156 Raza Hayat Hiraj, Kabirwala tehsil nazim Akbar Hayat Hiraj and their three accomplices on Feb 27 in a murder case.

The judge granted the bail to all the accused on surety bonds of Rs100,000 each.

Mehr Akram Toru had moved the court some six months back alleging that accused Raza Hiraj, Akbar Hiraj along with their accomplices Ghulam Raza, Sikandar Hayat Dhiraj and Rabnawaz had murdered his brother Khizer Toru, the then Darkhana union council nazim, during local body polls in 2005.

It may be mentioned that before the general election, the court had issued bailable arrest warrants against accused Raza Hiraj and Akbar Hiraj, but they did not appear in the court on Feb 11 hearing.

DISMISSED: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has dismissed a petition filed by losing PML-N candidate Muhammad Khan Daha in NA-157 (Khanewal-II).

Former Punjab transport minister Haji Irfan Ahmad Khan Daha, on behalf of his son Muhammad Khan Daha, confirmed that the ECP had rejected the petition seeking recounting in NA-157.