PESHAWAR, Feb 27: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday restrained the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from issuing gazette notifications of the election of former federal minister, Amir Muqam, as MNA and another candidate of PML-Q, Muhammad Zahir Shah, as MPA till next order.

A two- member bench comprising Justice Hamid Farooq Durrani and Justice Shahjee Rehman Khan issued the order while taking up two writ petitions. The petitions challenged an order of ECP wherein it asked the returning officers of NA-31, Shangla, PF-87, Shangla and PF-88, Shangla, to consolidate the results despite the objection of the rival candidates that record of some of the polling stations was either lost or destroyed.

The bench fixed March 4 for next hearing and put on notice the respondents including the ECP, Amir Muqam and Zahir Shah. The bench ordered that notification in this regard should not be issued till next date.

One of the petitions was filed by the ANP candidate Sadeedur Rehman from NA-31, a constituency from where Amir Muqam was unofficially declared successful. The other petition was filed by Muhammad Diyar Khan of ANP, who was declared runner-up from provincial assembly constituency, PF-87, where Zahir Shah was declared successful.

The petitioner claimed that till final results coming from different polling stations he was having lead of about 2,000 votes. He alleged that the supporters of Amir Muqam and Zahir Shah made some presiding officers hostages and changed the results of their respective polling stations regarding which two FIRs were registered at Aloch police station.

The counsel of Sadeedur Rehman contended that the record of 27 polling stations were set on fire by unidentified persons when those were transported from Bisham to the district headquarter Alpuri.

He stated that the petitioners had requested that in the absence of the said record the results could not be consolidated, but the election commissioner ordered the three returning officers to consolidate the results without the said record.

The petitioners claimed that Amir Muqam group had altered the election results through use of force and coercion. They added that unless the entire record was completed the consolidation of results could not take place.

A writ petition has also been filed by an independent candidate from PF-88, where another independent candidate, Fazllullah, backed by Amir Muqam was declared victorious by the returning officer. That petition would be taken up for hearing on Thursday.