SWABI, Jan 29: Member of provincial assembly Sardar Ali was arrested here on Saturday when a court in Chota Lahor tehsil cancelled his bail before arrest (BBA) in the fake BA degree case.

Mr Ali was elected as an independent MPA from PF-34, Swabi-4, in 2008 general elections, defeating the PPP-S candidate Abdul Karim Khan. Graduation was the prerequisite for all the candidates contesting the last general elections and it was alleged that Mr Ali had submitted a fake degree with his nomination papers.

Earlier, on Jan 21 the Election Commission officials submitted a written application at the Chota Lahor tehsil police station for registration of a case against Mr Ali, as they had evidence that his BA degree was fake.

Later, senior police officers in a meeting decided to register a case against Mr Ali under the Representation of the People Act, 1976. After the registration of FIR, Mr Ali secured his bail from the court. The additional and sessions judge, Chota Lahor tehsil, Jehangir Khan cancelled the bail on Saturday. Local lawyers told this correspondent that following the cancellation of his bail Mr Ali was arrested from the courtroom.

A large number of the MPA's supporters on the court premises were eagerly waiting for the confirmation of his bail, but they had to return disappointed.

The lawyers said that Mr Ali was perhaps the first person in the country against whom a written application for registration of FIR was filed by the Election Commission officials and later arrested in the fake degree case.

SWABI-TOPI ROAD: An under-construction narrow part of the 22 kilometres Swabi-Topi road at Baja village has been creating problems for the commuters for the last over a year because big vehicles, especially the NLC trucks, got trapped there, blocking the flow of traffic. The part of the road in Baja region has become a mud trap where big trucks got trapped and freeing them usually needed several hours. The irony is that officials of the district administration are yet to take notice of the frequent traffic jams.

Commuters and transporters have urged the contractor to construct the muddy part of the road first, as rains often made their travel difficult. From the last about a week it has been a routine that a big truck or trailer got trapped and long lines of private and public transport vehicles follow from both Swabi and Topi sides, waiting for hours for opening of the route.