PESHAWAR, Sept 10: The former MPA and PML(N), Hangu district president Al-Haaj Fareed Mufakir has said that his nomination papers were rejected by the election tribunal for his association with the former prime minister, Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, he said that he had submitted his nomination papers for PF-43, Hangu, on Aug 23 which were accepted by the district returning officer. The returning officer, he said had raised no objection to my qualification because I had done my graduation from Kabul University in 1988.

Mufakir said one of his opponent Zakir Mohammad petitioned the election tribunal of the Peshawar High Court which rejected his nomination on Sept 10, and barred him from contesting the upcoming polls for not being a graduate. He said, it was the handiwork of the government to keep the local Mian Nawaz Sharif’s supporters out of polls.

According to him, he was at present the student of final year of law at Al-Khair College, Quetta, where he had taken admission on the basis of his BA degree, from Kabul University.

The University Grants Commission, he said, did not treat my qualification at a par with that of the Pakistani universities. He said he would support Abdul Aziz a PML (Q) candidate for PF-43 but won’t leave the field open for the government.

He also said that he would convene a meeting of his supporters on Sept 11 to chalk out future strategy.

First, the government tried hard to press me to desert the PML (N), and then it manoeuvred to have my papers. He vowed to support Mian Nawaz Sharif all the way.