Election petition: Ensure MNA’s presence, Speaker asked

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the office of the National Assembly speaker directing it to ensure that Pakistan Muslim League -Quaid (PML-Q) MNA Nauman Ahmad Langrial turns up for the hearing of a petition seeking his disqualification. The court has issued several notices to MNA Nauman Ahmad Langrial but he has never showed up for hearings. On Wednesday, the court asked the National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza to ensure the MNA is served the notice and appears on April 17. The petition was filed by Begum Shahnaz Javed of the Pakistan People Party, who had lost to PML-Q member at NA-163 Sahiwal, filed the petition. The petitioner stated that Langrial had contested election on the basis of a fake degree. She said the Higher Education Commission had declared his degree to be fake. Only candidates with a bachelor’s degree or higher were allowed to stand for election to the National Assembly in 2008.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2012.