The Lahore High Court has appointed a bar member Azhar Siddique as amicus curie in a petition seeking disqualification of a sitting PML-N MNA Rao Mazhar Hayat Khan whose BA degree had been proved fake and an FIR was also registered against him.
The court asked the lawyer to assist on legal points whether the seat of an MNA will remain vacant or election commission was required to adopt a procedure under Representation of Peoples Act 1976 if affidavit of the parliamentarian submitted at the time of filing of nomination papers was proved as fake.
The petitioner Arshad Ibrahim contended that the respondent MNA contested election from NA-138 Kasur and was declared returned candidate. He said that on the directions of the Election Commission of Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) sent graduation degree of the MNA to the university concerned in USA but the university did not verify the degree. Resultantly, Kasur D&SJ ordered registration of a criminal case against the MNA.