LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Monday denied stay to unseated MNA of the PML-N from NA-154, Lodhran, Siddique Khan Baloch, against the order of an election tribunal, but admitted his appeal for regular hearing and issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan and Jahangir Khan Tareen of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry observed that the stay could not be granted without hearing the other party.

A Multan election tribunal had annulled the results of 2013 general election in NA-154, disqualifying Mr Baloch for possessing fake academic credentials.

Mr Tareen had challenged the election before the tribunal.

As the proceedings started, Advocate Shahzad Shaukat appeared on behalf of the appellant and said the tribunal declared degrees of Mr Baloch fake without any proof on the record.

The bench noted that the tribunal in its order wrote that Mr Baloch did his matriculation in Sindhi but he could not even speak the language.

The appellant passed his intermediate examination from Karachi and did his graduation (BA) from Balochistan, but he was unable to speak English and even Balochi language, the bench cited the tribunal’s decision.

The bench expressed its wonder when it came to know that the appellant did his matriculation at the age of 43.

The counsel argued that the degrees of the appellant were found genuine during an inspection of parliamentarians’ academic credentials carried out by High Education Commission on Supreme Court’s order.

The bench observed that the authenticity of the appellant’s degrees appeared to be suspicious.

Advocate Shaukat told the bench that he would never appear before the Supreme Court if his arguments proved false.

The bench issued notices to the ECP and Mr Jahangir Tareen for Sept 29 and said no adjournment would be given to any of the parties. It would also decide the stay application on the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd , 2015

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