PESHAWAR, July 28: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday set aside disqualification of a former union council nazim and declared his Madressah Sanad (degree) valid for contesting polls.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Qaim Jan Khan and Justice Saleem Khan, accepted a writ petition filed by the former nazim of Gulberg union council, Azam Khan, and allowed him to contest the local elections scheduled for Aug 18.

The petitioner has a degree from the Ittehadul Madaris of Mardan district.

His rival candidate Syed Zahir Shah had filed an objection before the returning officer saying only the degree of the Wafaqul Madaris was acceptable under the law.

However, the returning officer had overruled his objection and accepted the nomination papers of Azam Khan.

Zahir Shah filed an appeal against the order of the returning officer before the district returning officer who accepted the appeal and disqualified the petitioner from contesting polls.

Advocate Naik Nawaz Khan appeared for the petitioner before the high court and contended that the qualification for a candidate contesting for the post of nazim and naib nazim was a secondary school certificate or a Sanad equivalent to it from any recognized madressah.

Mr Nawaz contended that the Ittehadul Madaris was a recognized board of religious seminaries.

He pointed out that the petitioner had contested last elections on the basis of the same Sanad.—Bureau Report