KARACHI, June 30: An election tribunal reserved its order on Monday on a petition moved by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal candidate Mohammad Aslam, against the election of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Mohammad Idrees Siddiqui from the Sindh Assembly constituency, PS-103 (Karachi).

The petitioner alleged widespread irregularities in the election, while the respondent MPA categorically denied them. The MPA maintained that he had obtained a comfortable lead and even if the disputed votes were counted in favour of the petitioner, the final result would remain unchanged.

Justice Mohammad Moosa K Laghari of the Sindh High Court, who constituted the tribunal, reserved his order after hearing the two sides.

The petition against the election of Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Khan Maher as MPA from Ghotki was, meanwhile, adjourned by Justice Ghulam Rabbani, for final arguments by his counsel, Rashid Ahmed Akhund, to July 11. The petitioner, a defeated PPP candidate, Altaf Ali Shah, had alleged that Mr Maher was a non- graduate at the time of filing his papers in October, 2002. The respondent has produced documentary evidence to controvert the allegation, which is contested by the petitioner.

Both sides were, on Monday, asked to furnish copies of their pleadings to Additional Advocate-General Ahmad Pirzada, who had been asked to assist the court.

Another petition, moved by Sarfraz Ahmad Junejo of the Pakistan Muslim League (Functional), to challenge the election of PPP’s Irfan Ali Shah from Tharparkar-II, was on Monday adjourned by Justice Moosa Laghari for final arguments. In his testimony before the tribunal, the MPA admitted that his sugar mill did take a loan of over Rs60 million from various banks, but it was got resecheduled before the elections. Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate K M Nadeem argued that two years must elapse between the settlement of a loan default and the polls, for a defaulter to become eligible to contest election.