KARACHI: High Court orders probe into ‘misappropriation’
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 4: A division bench of the Sindh High Court asked the anti- corruption department on Thursday to investigate misappropriation of Zakat funds as alleged by three petitioners.
The petitioners claimed that they had not been paid the amount of Rs1,000 they had long received as biannual payment from the Zakat funds. The amount, which was distributed by the Baitul Maal, had been pocketed by the chairman of the Manghopir Zakat and Ushr committee, but the police were reluctant to register their complaint against him, the petitioners alleged.
Appearing for the Sindh government, additional advocate-general submitted that the Baitul Maal had nothing to do with the distribution of Zakat. Financial assistance from the Zakat funds was given through the post offices.
The bench, which consisted of Justice Zahid Kurban Alavi and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, however, ordered an inquiry into the petitioner’s allegations and registration of a case against the officials concerned if the allegations were found true.
BAIL GRANTED: Justice Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery of the Sindh High Court granted interim bail on Thursday to a murder accused in the sum of Rs100,000.
Pir Matooq has a complaint registered against him at a Badin police station. His counsel, Qurban Ali Chauhan, submitted that he had been implicated in the murder of Murad Chandio, which occurred on March 12, to suppress his claim to the custodianship of Lawari Sharif. His late father, Pir Mahfooz Shah, former chairman of PICIC and director of the State Bank, had renounced his claim to the gaddi. However, there was no legal heir in the Lawari Sharif family and he was a prospective gaddi nashin.
The accused said he was a permanent resident of Karachi and looked after his orchards and nurseries at Thatta, Jhirk and Hyderabad from Karachi. He had no interest in the custodianship but was being involved in a murder case by bogus claimants from outside the Lawari family. He was not present in Badin on the day of occurrence.
Justice Jaffery admitted him to interim bail subject to confirmation on April 9 after hearing the counsel’s arguments.
TCs POWERS: The town committees are empowered to take preventive action against encroachments, Additional Advocate-General Abbas Ali argued before a division bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday.
He was contesting a writ petition moved by Muhammad Zahid Awan against the demolition of a boundary wall he wanted to raise to demarcate 40 acres of land he claimed to have bought in Hawkesbay Road.
The hearing was inconclusive as the counsel for Keamari town and union council nazims, Advocate Ilyas Khan, sought time for filing comments. Further proceedings were adjourned to April 16.
Appearing for police officials who declined to register a case against the nazims, AAG Abbas Ali submitted that under section 54-A of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001, the town nazim was fully competent to take the action. The petitioner had no title to the property claimed by him. There were joint powers of attorney in his favour but no instrument evidencing the sale of land to him. The town nazim could take action to prevent encroachments, he said.
