GUJRAT: The Supreme Court has disqualified the PML-N-backed mayor of Gujrat Municipal Corporation, Haji Nasir Mahmood, from holding any public office by rejecting his appeal against the decision of his disqualification by the Lahore High Court on the writ petition of his rival candidate.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar with Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Umar Ata Bandial as its members announced the verdict on Thursday.

Mehr Umar Sajid, a PML-Q-backed union council candidate had challenged in the LHC, the returning officer’s decision of accepting the nomination papers of Mr Mahmood for UC chairman slot.

In his plea, Mr Sajid had stated that Mr Mahmood had already been disqualified by the apex court for having a fake degree and was convicted by the trial court in a fraud case lodged against him on the complaint of the Gujranwala divisional election commissioner with the Gujrat Civil Lines police.

He had also spent a few days in the district jail and was released on bail.

The LHC disqualified Mr Mahmood in October 2015 on the writ of Mr Sajid against which the former moved the Supreme Court that stayed the verdict just two days ahead of the October 31, 2015 local bodies polls, allowing him to contest the election. Mr Mahmood won the election and was subsequently elected as mayor of Gujrat MC in December 2016.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2018