KARACHI: SHC orders fresh election for officiating Nazim
KARACHI, Aug 6: A division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising justices Shabbir Ahmed and Gulzar Ahmed allowed a constitutional petition against secretary of Local Government, Town Nazim of North Karachi and Acting Nazim of UC-8.
The bench disposing of the petition through a short order said that “the petitioner, Allah Rakha, who was elected as Officiating Nazim, would hold the office till the vacancy is filled by the Election Commission.”
The court also ordered sending of the copy of the said order to the EC and also directed it to hold elections as early as possible.
The petitioner had moved the court impugning a letter issued by the Nazim of North Karachi Town under which Zamir Ahmed Siddiqui was appointed as Officiating Nazim removing Allah Rakha, who was elected by the councillors of the UC Faisal after both Nazim Mubashir and Naib Nazim Muddassir had tendered their resignations owing to some personal reasons.
The petitioner, appearing in person, prayed to the court to declare the impugned letter as illegal and to restore him as Officiating Nazim. The Additional Advocate-General, Sindh, Sarwar Khan, represented the state while respondents were represented by Abdul Khalil.
BAIL GRANTED: Another bench of the SHC comprising justices Ghulam Rabbani and Rehmat Hussain Jafferi on Wednesday granted bail to an accused in a bank fraud case against a surety of Rs0.6 million.
Shaukat Hayat, appearing for applicant Shahid Rahim, submitted that the accused was falsely implicated in the case. He also raised ground of consistency as the main accused, Rahim Baig, who allegedly got a cheque encashed, had been enlarged on bail by the SHC.
According to the prosecution, Akhtar Zaman Khan, chairman of the Speedway Found Metal Pak Limited, made a complaint stating that on Nov 22, 2002, he received threatening calls and the callers asked him not to take any action against his ( complainants’) employees who had stolen a cheque book and got a cheque amounting to Rs1.1914 million encashed by forging his signature.
BAITUL HAMZA: The Mohajir Qaumi Movement on Wednesday filed contempt of court application in the Sindh High Court against the SHO of Landhi police station, DSP of Korangi and TPO of Landhi Town. The petitioner stated that the respondents had violated court order regarding suit property Baitul Hamza, the MQM-H headquarters and prayed to the SHC that the contemnors be punished.
Plaintiff Abid Ali Jaffery, through his counsel Sohail Hameed, stated that on May 29, 2003 the SHC had restrained respondents from taking any coercive action in respect of Baitul Hamza, R-1 to R-7, Sector 37-D, C-1 Area, Landhi/Korangi, till the next date of hearing.
He submitted that the MQM-H had arranged Mehfil-i-Milad for women on August 2, 2003 at the suit property followed by the foundation-stone laying ceremony for a reconstruction as it was illegally demolished by the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA).
The plaintiff submitted that police, in flagrant breach and deliberate disobedience of court order, adopted coercive attitude.
VERDICT RESERVED: A division bench of Sindh High Court comprising justices Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Rehmat Hussain Jaffery on Wednesday reserved its judgment on a convict’s appeal against life imprisonment after hearing final arguments from both sides.
Appellant Jamil Khan Afridi was convicted by the Control of Narcotics Substance courts on March 4, 2002. He was arrested on Feb 11, 1999.—APP/PPI
