PESHAWAR, Dec 3: An election tribunal on Saturday began ex parte proceedings against Peshawar City District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali after he failed to turn up before it in a petition seeking his disqualification. The tribunal headed by Charsadda district and sessions judge Subhan Sher Khan fixed Jan 14, 2006 for the next hearing.

The election petition was filed by Haroon Ahmad Bilour who lost to Haji Ghulam Ali in the local government poll for nazim on Oct 6.

The nazim appeared before the tribunal only after it had recorded its order. He informed the court that he was busy in an official meeting and got late.

He requested the tribunal to recall its order.

The tribunal observed that his request would be considered on the next hearing.

Haji Ghulam Ali belongs to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and was supported by the People’s Party parliamentarian and the Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao). Mr Bilour comes from the Awami National Party and was a joint candidate of the ANP and Jamaat-i-Islami.

In his petition, Mr Bilour claimed that Haji Ghulam Ali was not qualified to contest the election as he had not passed his secondary school certificate examination.

According to the NWFP Local Government Ordinance, 2001, only those candidates can contest for the post of nazim and naib nazim who have passed their matriculation examination.

The petitioner also said that Haji Ghulam Ali had been charged in different cases, but he had not mentioned it in his nomination papers.

He said Ghulam Ali was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau on the charge of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Later, he added, he was released on bail by a superior court, but he had still been facing trial in that case.