LAHORE - The Lahore High Court LHC on Wednesday disqualified Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) lawmaker Iqbal Langhriyal for holding bogus degree. In its verdict, the court observed: “Langhriyal is a dishonest man.” Langhriyal was elected as an MPA from PP-226 constituency of Sahiwal on the PML-Q ticket. His assembly membership was challenged in the Lahore High Court by Mian Saifur Rehman, a resident of the same constituency.In his petition, Rehman said Langhriyal was elected as an MPA during the 2008 general election on a fake degree. He pointed out that Langhriyal got the degree from a seminary of Shakarpur district of Sindh.By contesting elections on fake degree, the MPA had not fulfilled the criteria of article 62 and 63 of the constitution, the petitioner said, making a request to the court for disqualifying the lawmaker.Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh heard the arguments of all parties and disqualified Langhriyal from the assembly membership. The court also directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold by-poll in the constituency.The court observed, “Iqbal Langhriyal was elected on a fake degree thus he is not ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’ and he can’t be elected as a member of the Parliament.” The judiciary has disqualified dozens of lawmakers of almost all political parties over fake degrees. According to the available record, till November 2011, there were 22 MPs with fake degrees. These include eight from the PML-N, three from the PPP, three the PML-Q, one each from the the JUI and the PML-F, and six independents.Protective bail granted: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted protective bail to three officials of special branch allegedly involved in a case of releasing false intelligence report about murder plot of former Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif.Federal Investigation Agency Punjab had registered the case against Special Branch Punjab Director Shahid Mehmood, and two other personnel Muhammad Azam and Ijaz Ahmad.The officials filed the bail application and contended they had no role in the alleged murder plot of Justice(r) Sharif but the FIA intentionally implicated them in the case.They requested the court to grant them protective bail and restrain the FIA from arresting and hairdressing them.Justice Ali Baqir Najfi heard initial arguments and granted them protective bail till Aug 23 by stopping FIA from arresting them. The judge also directed the accused to approach trial court.The FIA had booked Special Branch Punjab chief Col (retired) Ehsanur Rehman, Former Secretary to Punjab CM Tauqeer Shah and a PML-N worker Talha Burki over the allegations of hatching a conspiracy to produce a false intelligence report about the murder plot in a bid to create differences among the federal government, provincial government and judiciary.

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