PESHAWAR, Jan 8: Former Hangu District Nazim Ghaniur Rehman on Tuesday challenged in the Peshawar High Court his disqualification and declaration of his rival as nazim by an election tribunal.

The election tribunal had disqualified Mr Rehman on the grounds that he had produced a forged secondary school certificate and had not cleared his matriculation examination, a pre-condition for contesting the election of the district nazim.

Mr Rehman filed a writ petition praying the high court to declare the judgment delivered by the tribunal and a subsequent notification of the Chief Election Commissioner as illegal and unconstitutional.

He requested the court to set aside the two orders, grant him interim relief and suspend the impugned orders till the disposal of his petition.

A two-member bench will take up the petition for hearing on Jan 10.

The election tribunal, presided over by Kohat district and sessions judge Shahjehan Khan Akhundzada, had on Jan 3 accepted an election petition filed by rival candidate Haji Khan Afzal, and disqualified Mr Rehman from holding the office of the district nazim.

The tribunal declared Haji Khan Afzal as elected district nazim.

On Jan 5, the chief election commissioner issued a notification whereby Mr Rehman was disqualified and Haji Khan Afzal was declared as district nazim.

Mr Rehman had defeated Mr Afzal in the 2005 local government elections by receiving 112 votes against 98 of Mr Afzal.

Mr Afzal had challenged his election on the grounds that Mr Rehman had not produced the original matriculation certificate and had only produced a photocopy.

On inquiry, it transpired that the roll number was allotted in 1972 to another person with the same name of Ghaniur Rehman but he belonged to Mitakhel area in Karak district and was not a resident of Hangu.

The petitioner said that the election petition filed by Mr Afzal was not maintainable.

He contended that the election petition was neither signed nor verified by Mr Afzal.

The respondents in the petition are Election Commission of Pakistan, Election Commission NWFP, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar, returning officer of Hangu, district returning officer, election tribunal and Haji Khan Afzal.