PESHAWAR, May 9: The Peshawar High Court has directed the Election Commission not to take any action against two sacked members of the NWFP Assembly. The membership of Malik Hayat Khan and Raja Faisal was terminated after the Jamaat-i-Islami expelled them for their alleged involvement in horse-trading during recent Senate elections.

They filed petitions in the court against the termination of their assembly membership, arguing that their party had acquired resignations from them to use them in a campaign against President Musharraf but submitted them to the speaker of the assembly on the horse trading issue.

A division bench of the PHC, comprising Chief Justice Tariq Pervaiz, has taken up the petitions for hearing.

In the last hearing, defence counsel Barrister Masood Kusar and Yahya Afridi said that the speaker could accept only those resignations which were submitted by the resigning MPAs themselves.

The court issued a notice to the speaker, directing him to submit a written reply to the court in 14 days.—Online