LAHORE, Aug 11: Mian Amer Mahmood’s holding of the district Nazim’s office was challenged in the Lahore High Court on Monday through a petition, accusing him of acting against the public interest.

While accepting the petition for a regular hearing, Election Commission of Pakistan member Justice Naseem Sikandar issued notice to the Nazim for Sept 17.

In his preliminary arguments, petitioner Adnan Amanat claimed through his counsel that he got admission to a private computer institution chaired by the Nazim after going through its prospectus, according to which, it was internationally recognized degree-awarding institute. The degree was claimed to have been recognized by the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand.

However, the petitioner said, the prospectus had misguided him because the institute had neither collaboration with any foreign institute nor was it authorized to award degrees.

“Mian Amer Mahmood has been playing with the future of the students,” the petitioner alleged.

The counsel also submitted that his client had filed a writ petition with the LHC in 2001 for initiation of legal action against the Nazim, but the petition had been disposed of by the court with a direction to the federal government to safeguard public interest, particularly that of the students and their parents.

It was claimed that in response to that petition, the provincial higher education secretary had furnished the court with an information that Mian Amer had not applied to the provincial education department for grant of charter to run his computer institute. Therefore, he said it was not functioning in line with the prescribed criteria of the department.

“The provincial education department has no objection, if any legal action is taken against the institution,” he quoted the provincial secretary as saying in his reply.

The petition further quoted the University Grant Commission as claiming in its respective reply filed in response to his earlier petition: “It is hereby notified that no foreign university, including the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, has so far been allowed to operate or award degrees in Pakistan. Any degree awarded by any such foreign institution is not recognized by the UGC.”

The UGC was further quoted as clarifying that the foregoing institution had not fulfilled the criteria for the establishment of private institution, and it was functioning in violation of guidelines set out by the UGC.

The counsel argued that the respondent was involved in activities prejudicial to the public interest, and was barred by Section 152 of the Local government Ordinance 2001 to hold office of the district Nazim.