LAHORE, Feb 27: An election tribunal of the Lahore High Court on Thursday adjourned till March 17 the hearing of a petition seeking disqualification of MNA Hamid Nasir Chattha.

The tribunal also summoned witnesses on the next hearing.

The MNA pleaded not-guilty in his written reply submitted earlier.

PPP’s Aasma Abu Bakar, defeated candidate from NA-101 (Gujranwala), had submitted that Hamid Nasir Chattha was not honest as he had utilized funds of District Nazim Fayyaz Chattha for his election campaign.

She submitted that first the returning Officer announced her victory after the counting of votes on the night of Oct 10 last year. Later, the Election Commission declared Hamid Nasir Chattha as the winner. ST recovery

STAYED: The Lahore High Court on Thursday, taking up identical petitions of two sugar mills, stayed operation of impugned notices for the recovery of three per cent further sales tax, and directed that no coercive action shall be taken against the petitioners.

The petitions were filed by JWD and Adam Sugar mills through Ijaz Ahmad Awan.

The court said the documents placed by the petitioner did not apparently show that the procedure as prescribed by law and as assured by the respondents was undertaken as apparently the petitioner had not been given a right of hearing. The court directed the respondents to file a report and parawise comments by

March 11.—APP