February 28, 2003	Friday	Zul Hijjah 26, 1423

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PESHAWAR, Feb 27: A single-bench of the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed two organizations, one of them of Sweden, to return the goods taken away from the offices of an NGO.

The bench, comprising Justice Tariq Pervaiz, accepted the civil appeal of the NGO, Rise, and declared the taking away of goods from its offices on April 19, 2001, illegal.

The court set aside an order of the additional district and sessions judge, Swabi, issued in favour of the defendants.

The bench observed that the two organizations — Save the Children, Sweden, and Samaj Behbood Rabita Council — had no legal authority to ask some former employees of Rise to take away properties from its offices.

Advocate Fazal Ilahi Khan appeared for the appellant and argued that the former employees of Rise, headed by the administration and finance officer, Sultan Sher, had attacked the Rise offices and took away a computer, air-conditioner, photocopier, fax machine, refrigerator, etc.

He stated that Mr Sher had acted at the defendants’ behest.

Rise chief Prof Ismail filed the appeal, stating that he had lodged an FIR at the concerned police station in Swabi and charged Mahmood Asghar of Save the Children and Roohul Amin of the SBRC.

He said a civil court in Swabi had directed that the articles taken away from the Rise offices should remain with the Samaj Behbood Rabita Council and Save the Children.

The additional district and sessions judge of Swabi upheld the order, he added.

The defendants claimed that they had authorized Mr Sher to take into his custody the goods meant for a project funded by Save the Children and denied they had ever attacked the Rise offices.