KARACHI, Jan 24: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the provincial government and other respondents on Friday in a petition seeking action against quacks and quackery.
The petitioner, a Surjani Town welfare organization, submitted through Advocate Islam Husain that the authorities seldom moved against violations of law and rules, social evils and unhealthy practices till some grave mishap took place. Quackery was flourishing unchecked and quacks were playing with the lives of people with impunity.
It said the right to life is a fundamental right and it includes right to medicare. It particularly cited the example of a postal employee who was running a clinic in Surjani Town in the garb of a qualified doctor.
A division bench, comprising Justices Mohammad Roshan Essani and Anwar Zaheer Jamali, issued notices to the respondents for a date in office.
bail granted: The Sindh High Court has granted bail to a Harare trader of Pakistani origin booked by the FIA under the Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance, 2002.
Mohammad Nawaz was charged with carrying Shahbaz on a fake British passport to London via Dubai and Harare (Zimbabwe). He and Shahbaz both were claimed by the FIA to have confessed to the offence.
Appearing for the accused, Advocates Mohammad Ilyas Khan and Mohammad Jamil submitted before Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany that there was no evidence against him except his own confessional statement, which he now disowned. Co-accused Shahbaz, who was charged with travelling on a fake British passport and visa, had already been granted bail.
Justice Osmany admitted the accused to bail in the sum of Rs 150,000 for reasons to be recorded later.
order reserved: The Sindh High Court has reserved its judgment till Jan 29 on a suit filed by 12 sugar mill owners against the fixation of sugarcane price by the provincial government.
The owners submitted through Advocate Farogh Nasim that the government had no powers to fix prices as it did not buy the sugar manufactured by their mills. It should allow the market forces to operate in such matters. Sugar production was just not feasible at the cane price of Rs 43 a maund fixed by the provincial government.
Summing up the government position, Advocate-General Anwar Mansoor Khan submitted that the prices of essential commodities were fixed by the government to protect the interests of all concerned — the growers, the manufacturers, the consumers and the public at large.
If cane prices were not regulated at source, not only the growers and the consumers but, ultimately, the manufacturers might also suffer. The farmers might stop growing the cane.
Appearing for the growers, who were allowed to join the proceedings as interveners, advocates Abdul Mujib Pirzada and Sayed Ghulam Shah said the cane production would suffer if the commodity fetched only Rs 43 a maund to the farmers. Even this price was not paid by the mills promptly. The farmers would not grow sugarcane if they suffered a loss instead of earning their living.
Justice Zahid Kurban Alavi reserved his judgment for announcement on Wednesday after hearing the parties.
Hudood case: A bench of the High Court of Sindh, comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, has summoned the investigation officer of a case registered under the Hudood Ordinance, adds APP.
The bench was hearing a bail application filed by Ishtiaq, the chief of the Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen, who was alleged to have married wife of one of his mureed (disciple) while her first marriage was not dissolved.
The accused got Nikah of Ms Sumaira Fasq (invalid) by forcing her husband, Shakeel, on 28-4-1998. The accused married Ms Sumaira on 6-6-1998. A case was lodged against him under the Hudood Ordinance and he was arrested in January this year.
When the bail plea came up for hearing, the court, after hearing counsel for the applicant Khawaja Naveed Ahmed, and Justice (retd) Shafi Mohammedi, counsel for the complainant, summoned the investigation officer of the case to appear in the court for responding to material questions to decide the nature of the alleged offence.
hearing put off: Hearing of an appeal filed by appellants/accused convicted in sectarian related case commonly known as Mehfil-i-Murtaza carnage case was adjourned till Feb 7 by a bench of High Court of Sindh, comprising Justice Shabbir Ahmed and Justice Azizullah Memon, on Friday.
Mohammed Ashraf Qazi, counsel for appellant, was on his feet when court rose. Fourteen persons were gunned down inside Mehfil-i-Murtaza on Feb 25, 1995, by some un-identified gunmen in the jurisdiction of PS Ferozabad.
The accused include Hafiz Ahmed Bux, former Sindh chief of banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Umar Hayat, Mohammed Fazil, Khawaja Saleemuddin, Faheemul-Haq, Ahmed Zahoor, Karimullah Sharif and Saghir Ahmed Shaikh. All the accused have been sentenced to death by a special court for suppression of terrorist activities on charge of murder and spreading terrorism.
