PESHAWAR, Sept 21: The Peshawar district and sessions judge, Ziauddin Khattak, has expressed his inability to conduct judicial inquiry into the Pishtakhara firing incident including killing of a union Nazim on Sept 16.

Mr Khattak has cited judicial and election work as the sole reason for his inability to conduct the said inquiry, which was assigned to him by the Chief Justice of the high court, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan.

It is learnt that Mr Khattak has sent a letter to the high court putting forward certain options. Mr Khattak, who apart from the functions of the district and sessions judge has also been performing various other functions as he is the district returning officer of Peshawar and presiding officer of the Juvenile Court. Due to forthcoming general elections the entire staff of the district and sessions judge office have been engaged in elections duties especially inspection of polling stations.

Sources confided that Mr Khattak has requested the high court either to appoint any other judicial officer for the inquiry; or to delay the inquiry till election; or to take away elections work from him.

Mr Khattak was appointed the inquiry officer on the request of the provincial government to the high court. The government had announced judicial inquiry after the occurrence on Sept 16 during which an unruly mob, protesting against Wapda for continuous load-shedding, resorted to violence after the death of the area Nazim, Fayyaz Khalil.