LAHORE, March 3: The counsel for Hafiz Abdul Karim, the PML-N candidate who lost to PML-Q candidate Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari at NA-172, Monday told a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) that PML-Q candidate’s counsel distorted facts to get a stay order against a recount of ballots ordered by the district returning officer (DRO).

The LHC bench on Feb 26 had stayed the recount of the ballot papers in NA-172, Dera Ghazi Khan, on a petition filed by Leghari, who was declared successful candidate according to unofficial results.

Hafiz Karim's counsel Zahid Sultan Khan said the petitioner’s counsel told a lie when he claimed that the DRO had ordered the recount in NA-172 twice.

On an application filed by Hafiz Karim, the DRO had ordered the recount of ballot papers but Leghari had challenged the orders, pleading that the orders were uncalled for.

According to unofficial results declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), PML-Q’s Farooq Leghari returned to the National Assembly by securing 44,630 votes against Hafiz Karim’s 42,308.

The bench consisting of Justice Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Justice Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry later adjourned the hearing for further arguments.

The LHC bench also adjourned a petition filed by PML-Q’s losing aspirant Ijazul Haq challenging the election of an independent candidate, Rauf Khalid, from PP-284, Bahawalnagar.

The former PML-Q minister submitted that Khalid was not eligible to contest the elections as an accountability court had convicted him in a corruption case. He asked the court to declare Khalid disqualified and instead announce him as a returned one. After hearing arguments by both the parties, the bench adjourned the hearing with an observation that the notification of returned candidate being issued by the ECP would be subject to final decision of the writ petition.

The LHC bench also issued notices on two writ petitions challenging the graduation degrees of two returned candidates.

In the first petition, Sardar Latif Khosa appearing on behalf of Maj Tariq Yousaf (retired), a losing candidate of the PPP, pleaded that PML-N’s returned candidate Rana Tariq Mehmood from PPP-121, Sialkot, had submitted a fake graduation degree.

He said the respondent possessed degree of Al-Khair University, obtained from Azad Kashmir Campus in Session 2007, but the said campus was not functional ever since Oct 8, 2005 earthquake.