LAHORE, Jan 28: The Lahore High Court on Monday disqualified Khalid Mahmood Sargana, a PML-Q (forward bloc) MPA from PP78 Jhang, after he failed to prove his BA degree genuine.

A voter of the constituency, Muhammad Anwar, filed a petition seeking disqualification of MPA Sargana.

The petitioner pleaded that the respondent had contested the 2008 general election on the basis of a fake degree. He requested the court to invoke provisions of articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and declare the respondent MPA ineligible to hold the assembly seat.

The MPA, through his counsel, defended the allegations but could not satisfy the court about the validity of his degree.

As the arguments from both sides concluded on Monday, Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan announced the verdict and disqualified the MPA.

DAMAGES SUITS: The LHC stayed proceedings of two damages suits filed by PML-Q MNA Chaudhry Wajahat Husain and MPA Moonis Elahi against Zafar Qureshi, FIA`s former investigating officer of the NICL scam.

Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa issued this order on a petition filed by Mr Qureshi, former additional director general of the FIA, pleading that he had conducted an inquiry into the NICL scam on `merit` following the directions of the Supreme Court.

He said Moonis, one of the prime accused in the scam, and his uncle Wajahat filed damages suits against him (petitioner). He stated such suits could not be filed against the investigating officer of a case.

Mr Qureshi said he had no personal grudge with Moonis or his other family members but he got NICL`s billions of rupees funds recovered embezzled by the accused.

He prayed to the court to set aside the proceedings on the damages suits pending before a local civil court being illegal.

The judge stayed the proceedings and sought replies from the respondents by March 12.