PESHAWAR, March 7: A candidate of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) for the National Assembly seat NA-26, Bannu, by-elections has approached the chief election commissioner, seeking action against the returning officer for allegedly illegally rejecting his nomination papers for the polling scheduled to be held on March 29.

In a letter to the CEC, Malik Naqibullah Khan alleged that NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, whose son was his rival in the election, had resorted to unfair tactics to oust him from the contest.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Mr Naqibullah accused the chief minister of misusing his powers to support his son in the bye-election.

He said the son of chief minister had submitted his nomination papers for the bye-election despite being under age at the time.

He alleged that “the NWFP chief minister summoned the returning officer on March 3 and asked him to take a decision against me”. He alleged that the provincial advocate-general was also involved in the rejection of his nomination papers. Mr Naqibullah said that the AG had faxed his educational certificates to the Returning Officer, Asghar Khan Khilji, on March 3 at 4:44pm and the decision of rejecting of his papers had been conveyed to him at 5:30pm on the same day.

The PPP (Sherpao) candidate prayed to the CEC that the decision of the returning officer be declared unlawful and action be initiated against him.

Sources said the CEC had also been approached by different contesting parties and asked to postpone the balloting in view of the law and order situation.—APP