PESHAWAR, May 12: An election tribunal of the Peshawar High Court on Monday put the attorney-general and NWFP advocate-general on notice in a poll petition of former federal minister Iftikhar Gillani.

Mr Gillani of PML-Q, who lost NA-14 (Kohat) to Mufti Abrar of MMA in the general elections, claims that the sanad (degree) of his rival was not equivalent to that of graduation and asked the court to disqualify Mr Abrar from the National Assembly membership.

The petitioner contended that the degree of Shahadat-i-Alamia fil Uloom-i-Arabia wal Islamia possessed by the respondent, Mufti Ibrar, was made equivalent to graduation by the University Grants Commission (UGC) only for teaching and not for any other purpose.

He contended that the said degree could not be considered equal to graduation for contesting the election.

Advocate Essa Khan appeared for the respondent (Mufti Abrar) and contended that the said question had already been decided by the Supreme Court as well as the high court. It was very much clear now that the degree acquired by the respondent was equivalent to graduation, he said.

The tribunal comprising Justice Tariq Pervez decided on Monday to issue notices to the attorney general and advocate general so that they could assist the court on May 16.