LHC kicks out PPP MPA on last day in office
21 March, 2013
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday disqualified two legislators for being elected on the basis of fake degrees. Justice Muhammad Khalid Mehmood Khan declared PPP MPA Farooq Yousaf Ghurki disqualified, as the allegation of contesting election on the basis of a bogus graduation degree was proved against him. Ghurki was elected as a Punjab Assembly member from PP-159, Lahore-XXIII. Iftikhar Ahmed, a former nazim and a voter of PP-159A, moved the petition challenging Ghurki's election. The petitioner submitted that the MPA had declared to the election commission that he had done his matriculation in 1990, whereas he passed his BA examination in 1992, only two years after the matriculation. He submitted that the years of passing examinations mentioned on the degrees of the respondents established that he obtained fake degrees to contest election. He alleged that the MPA used a bogus FA certificate to take BA examination, and had not actually passed FA examination, which is must for sitting in BA examination. Ahmed submitted that as per rules four years' time gap is required between matric examination and BA examination, but Ghurki bluffed to the university. He requested that Ghurki be disqualified by invoking provisions of articles 62 and 63 of the constitution. Meanwhile, Ghurki took the plea that the allegations were false and he held a genuine degree. The judge had reserved the verdict on the petition on March 12. Separately, Justice Khan also disqualified PML-Q's former MNA Muhammad Akhter Khadim, alias Mian Khadim Hussain Wattoo, for being elected to the National Assembly on a bogus degree. Khadim was elected to the National Assembly from NA-188, Bahawalnagar-I in the general election of February 2008. Zahid Hussain, a voter of the constituency, had challenged his election. The petitioner alleged that Khadim cheated the election commission by submitting bogus degrees and adopting dishonest practices in elections from 1985 to 2008. The LHC dismissed a plea seeking disqualification of former PML-N MNA Malik Riaz for possessing a fake degree. Earlier, a single bench comprising Justice Muhammad Khalid Mehmood Khan, reserved the verdict after hearing arguments of both parties. The verdict was announced in open court on Wednesday. The petitioner had submitted that the respondent former MNA, who was elected from NA-118 in 2008, contested elections on the basis of a forged BA degree from Azad Jammu and Kashmir University. However, the respondent's counsel alleged that the petitioner had occupied a piece of land reserved for a hospital and moved the court after it was got vacated from him. End.
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