PESHAWAR, April 7: An election tribunal here on Monday reserved its order on a preliminary objection over the maintainability of an election petition filed by a top leader of PML(Q), Iftikhar Hussain Gillani, against his rival candidate of MMA.

Mr Gillani has challenged the election of Mufti Saeed Ibrar as MNA from NA-14 (Kohat), stating that the degree he possessed was not equivalent to graduation, a condition imposed on candidates who stood for the October elections last year.

The tribunal, presided over by Justice Tariq Pervaiz of the Peshawar High Court, observed that it would decide whether to decide the petition on the basis of the already given arguments; to seek comments from the University Grants Commission about the status of the degree in question; or, to ask the advocate general to assist the court.

Mr Gillani argued that the respondent, Mufti Saeed Ibrar, possessed the degree of Shahadat-e-Alamia Fil Uloom-e-Arabia wal Islamia. He added that the said degree was not equivalent to graduation.

He contended that under section 8A of the Conduct of General Elections Order, 2002, a candidate must possess a bachelor’s degree or any other degree declared equivalent to graduation by the UGC.

He stated that the introduction of the said provision was aimed at improving the quality of parliament, but making the degrees from religious seminaries equivalent to university degrees had a negative effect on parliament.

Advocate Essa Khan appeared for Mufti Ibrar Saeed and argued that the petition was not maintainable and was liable to be dismissed.

He argued that the UGC had declared the said degree equivalent to MA Arabic and the respondent was qualified to contest elections on its basis.

Mr Khan pointed out that a large number of candidates who contested the election possessed the same degree and were elected to the National and provincial assemblies. He rebutted the argument of Mr Gillani about a negative impact on parliament due to the presence of clerics there, stating that the argument was against the ideology of Pakistan. “Speaking English is not a qualification,” he added.