April 06, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1429

PESHAWAR, April 5: The elections of three NWFP ministers and three other legislators have been challenged before the Peshawar High Court and the election tribunal. The ministers include Rahimdad Khan, Sher Azam Wazir and Liaqat Shabab.

A voter, Farman Ali, from the provincial assembly constituency PF-27, Mardan, from where Rahimdad of People’s Party Parliamentarians got elected, has filed a writ petition before the high court alleging that he had contested elections on forged graduation degree.

A losing candidate, Riaz Ali Khattak of Awami National Party, has also filed an election petition before the Election Commission of Pakistan seeking disqualification of Rahimdad on the ground of possessing forged degree and rigging the polls.

Both the petitioners stated that along with the nomination forms Mr Rahimdad had filed photo copy of the provisional certificate of B.A purportedly issued by Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan. He added that the said certificate showed Rahimdad Khan Son of Saifullah Khan a private candidate of Lakki Marwat district having appeared in B.A Part-II annual 2005 examination in June, July, 2005.

The petitioners said that on verification they found out that the said certificate was bogus, as the gazette result of the annual examination 2005 showed that the said roll number was allotted to Rahim Khan Son of Bangi Khan who had failed in English.

The election commission would refer the petition to any of the election tribunals set up in the high court.

Similarly, a voter, Waheedullah Khan, of PF-71, Bannu, has filed a writ petition before the high court challenging the election of provincial minister for labour, Sher Azam Wazir, on the ground that he was government servant and since his relinquishing of the said post in 2006 two years had not lapsed, which was a requirement under the constitution.

A losing candidate from the same constituency, Baz Mohammad Khan, belonging to ANP, has also filed an election petition before the election commission almost on the same grounds.

They said that Mr Wazir got retired in 2004 following which he was given extension for two years. They added that he finally left the job in 2006. They added that his election was in violation of Article 63(1) (k) of the constitution which placed bar on election of a person who remained government servant and two years had not passed since he left the job.

The two petitioners, Farman and Waheedullah, had earlier filed writ petitions before the high court after the Feb 18 general elections against Rahimdad and Sher Azam, but their petitions were dismissed by the court. The court had observed that as both Rahimdad and Sher Azam had yet not taken oath as MPAs, therefore, these petitions were premature.

Against the provincial minister for excise and taxation, Liaqat Shabab, an election petition is filed by the losing candidate, Aftab Ahmad Khan, from PF-14, Nowshera. He has charged the minister of rigging the polls and casting bogus votes.

Moreover, a former provincial minister and a losing candidate from NA- 8, Charssada, Bashir Khan Umerzai, has filed an election petition against former federal minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao. Mr Umerzai has lost the election with a margin of 675 votes to Mr Sherpao.

Mr Umerzai alleged that Mr Sherpao had won the polls through rigging. He alleged that in some of the polling stations his men had made the election staff hostage and stuffed votes in the ballot boxes. In support of his contention he claimed that some TV and broadcast channels including DawnNews and BBC had also shown the proofs of the rigging of the polls.

Another losing candidate, Fareed Mufakir of PML-N, has challenged the election of MMA candidate Mufti Syed Hanan from PF-43, Hangu, through an election petition.

The petitioner claimed that the local militants had manipulated the polls in support of the MMA candidate in some of the polling stations. He alleged that they had torn off ballot papers and also stamped ballot papers in favour of Mufti Hanan.

Similarly, an election petition has been filed by Tariq Hamid Khattak of ANP against MNA Engineer Tariq Khattak of PPP, before the election commission. Mr Tariq Hamid, from NA-5, Nowshera, alleged that Mr Khattak had rigged the polls.