PESHAWAR, Dec 16: An election tribunal here on Saturday disqualified a panel of Nazim and Naib Nazim of a Union Council Tehkal, Peshawar, and declared the runners-up panel elected office-bearers of the council.

The tribunal, presided over by district and sessions judge Jabbar Khan, ruled that the Naib Nazim of Union Council Tehkal Akram Khan was a defaulter of Fata Development Corporation and thus he was not qualified to contest local bodies elections held on July 2.

The tribunal ruled that the runners up panel of Atifur Rehman and Bashir Khan thus stood elected as Nazim and Naib Nazim of the said union council.

Advocate Abdul Samad Khan appeared for the petitioners, Atifur Rehman and Bashir Khan, and argued that under the NWFP Local Government Elections Ordinance 2000 a defaulter of a bank and government offices was not qualified to contest polls.

He argued that as Akram Khan was a defaulter of Fata DC and, therefore, he was not entitled to contest the polls, but the returning officer did not consider that point.

He contended that as for posts of Nazim and Naib Nazim candidates contested polls in a joint panel and with the disqualification of one of them the other candidate also lost their seats.