LAHORE, Dec 16: An election tribunal imposed on Monday a fine of Rs10,000 on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Mohsin Latif for not appearing before it in an appeal seeking recount of votes in PP-147, Lahore.

Neither the defendant MPA nor his counsel appeared before the tribunal, however, a junior associate sought adjournment of hearing on behalf of the counsel.

The tribunal rejected the request and imposed the fine with a warning to enhance the fine if the MPA or his counsel failed to appear on Tuesday (today).

Runner-up candidate Shoaib Siddiqui filed the appeal accusing Latif of committing rigging and sought recounting of votes besides verification of voters’ thumb impression and ballot papers.

Wardens’ case

The Lahore High Court directed the Lahore region director of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Monday to decide the cases of 366 wardens in one month.

The wardens were booked on the compliant of the chief traffic officer for presenting imposter documents to get promotion.

The wardens challenged cases pleading that the PML-N government was targeting them on political grounds for the force had been appointed by the PML-Q government.

An investigating officer informed the court that a report for the cancellation of the cases had been sent to the ACE Lahore region director.

The court disposed of the petitions with direction to the ACE director to decide the matter within a month.

PU students acquitted An anti-terrorism court on Monday acquitted 13 students of the Punjab University involved in clashes with the administration and torching a public transport bus.

The accused included Taimoor Dar, Imran, Abdullah, Abid Ali, Syed Uzair, Muhammad Zeeshan, Wasim Asghar, Bilal Ahmad, Ali Zeeshan, Abidullah, Qamar Zaman and Muhammad Umair. They were arrested for holding a violent protest.

Marijuana sapling case A special anti-narcotics court on Monday acquitted a young man of charges of planting a sapling of the plant used as drug on technical grounds in a case registered on the complaint of his father.

The Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) had registered an FIR against Qasim Durrani on the complaint of his father, Naeem Durrani, who contended that his son established a laboratory in their DHA house and planted a sapling of “marijuana cannabis”, a soft drug.

The counsel for the accused, however, sought his acquittal on technical grounds saying the owner of the property where the sapling was planted and not his client should be held responsible for the illegal act.