PESHAWAR: PTI MPA Zahid Durrani on Monday moved the Peshawar High Court to get the May 30 local body elections in the province nullified over massive rigging and mismanagement and order fresh polls.

In the petition filed through lawyer Mohammad Moazzam Butt, Durrani also requested the court to stay the July 5 repolling ordered by the Election Commission of Pakistan in 365 polling stations across the province.

The petitioner has also requested the court that as interim relief the newly elected councilors may be restrained from taking oaths and the elections of nazims and naib nazims of districts and tehsils councils may also be stopped.

The respondents in the petition are the chief election commissioner of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa election commissioner, Mardan district returning officer, Mardan commissioner and Mardan district police officer.

The petitioner claimed large-scale rigging and mismanagement was reported in May 30, 2015 local government elections.

He said the Mardan district returning officer had sent a report to the Election Commission of Pakistan on June 3 admitting rigging and widespread mismanagement in polls.

The petitioner added that the DRO had pointed out that all political parties were involved in electoral rigging.

He said there was lack of coordination between ECP and the law-enforcement agencies.

The petitioner said in a vast majority of cases, election symbols of candidates were not posted in ballot papers.

He said by and large, the polling staff, including presiding officer, assistant presiding officers and polling officers, were untrained and were not well versed with the holding of elections.

The petitioner said the holding of free and impartial elections was impossible until Palcistan Army supervised them.

NOTICE ISSUED: A high court bench on Monday issued notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial police officer (PPO) in a contempt of court petition.

In a petition, Afrasiab Khan said his father, Abidullah Khan, was a police sub-inspector and died fighting terrorism in 2008.

He said in response to his petition, the court had directed the police on March 24, 2015 to appoint him as sub-inspector in place of his deceased father.

The petitioner said the PPO had not been acting on the court`s directives for over three months and thus, committing contempt of the court.

After preliminary hearing, the bench comprising Justice Roohul Amin Khan and Justice Mohammad Daud Khan issued notice to the PPO for filing written reply to the petition.

Schedule of the next hearing will be announced afterward.