March 7, 2002	Thursday	Zilhaj 22, 1422

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LAHORE, March 6: The Lahore High Court asked a federal law officer on Wednesday to find out whether the evacuee trust properties law was being amended to provide for the right of appeal.

The direction was prompted by a writ petition seeking relief against the board of evacuee trust properties. Petitioner Muhammad Husain Beg complained that he had bought a piece of immovable property, which was claimed by the evacuee properties board. He made a representation to the board chairman, who upheld the decision.

The petitioner then approached the secretary for religious affairs and minorities but he declined to interfere in view of a Supreme Court judgment of the year 2000, which called for an amendment to the Evacuee Trust Properties (Management and Disposal) Act, 1975, so as to provide for the right of appeal.

Justice Karamat Nazir Bhandari observed that the petitioner had effectively been deprived of whatever remedy he had under the law. He asked Deputy Attorney-General Khwaja Saeeduz Zafar to ascertain whether the law was being amended to provide for appeal as directed by the Supreme Court and assist the court on April 14, when the petition would again come up for hearing.