Ineligible degree: ECP disqualifies JUI-F MNA, terminates his NA membership

On Sep 9, an election tribunal in Balochistan disqualified him and ordered re-elections in NA-261

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday disqualified Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) MNA Maulvi Agha Muhammad for contesting elections with an ineligible degree and terminated his National Assembly membership, Express News reported.

On September 9, an election tribunal in Balochistan had disqualified the JUI-F MNA for holding an ineligible degree and ordered re-elections in NA-261, Pishin-Ziarat, with immediate effect.

The election tribunal ruled that Maulvi Agha's degree was not BA equivalent, not that it is “fake”.

The JUI-F MNA held a degree from a religious seminary, which he had submitted to contest the May 11 general elections last year. JUI-F won three seats in the National Assembly during the elections.

Runner-up candidate Muhammad Essa Roshan of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) had challenged Muhammad’s degree, which was proven to be ineligible during the proceedings of the tribunal.

The tribunal had then sent its findings to the ECP.

Correction: An earlier version of this article had incorrectly referred to Maulvi Agha's degree as "fake." However, the ECP only ruled that his degree was not a BA equivalent. The error is regretted.