LAHORE, Nov 20: The Lahore High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing of two election petitions against Federal Minister for Labour and Manpower Abdus Sattar Laleka when one petitioner sought transfer of his plea to another tribunal.

PPP’s Sajjad Ahmad Jathol contended in the application that he had certain reasons to believe that his petition would not be proceeded upon judiciously as the presiding officer of the tribunal had close friendship with Mr Laleka.

The petitioner sought decision on his application for the transfer of his petition before the hearing of his plea against Mr Laleka.

Mr Jathol and MMA’s Dr Ehsan Bari had lost election to a National Assembly seat against Mr Laleka from Fort Abbas, Bahawalnagar. They had questioned the veracity of the federal minister’s degree and contend that he was not qualified to contest the election.

Mr Jathol contended that the Fort Abbas returning officer had rejected the nomination of Mr Laleka as his degree was not above doubt.

The University Grants Commission also did not recognize the degree and it was only a judicial order which enabled Mr Laleka to contest the elections.

Mr Laleka has stated that he possessed a genuine bachelor’s degree in business administration from an educational institution in Karachi which was affiliated to the Canadian School of Management, Toronto, Canada. The degree was recognized and accepted all over the world.

Meanwhile, the plea of the Punjab Bar Council vice-chairperson, Arif Chaudhry, against his dismemberment from the Lahore High Court Bar Association was on Thursday put off to the first week of December.

Mr Chaudhry has challenged the Bar decision which was taken following he hosted a dinner for Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

The Bar dismembered Mr Chaudhry because he had hosted the dinner against a decision of the Lawyers Joint Action Committee according to which no government leader could be invited to any lawyers forum because of the dispute on the Legal Framework Order and enhancement of the retirement age of the members of the superior judiciary.