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KARACHI, Nov 20: The Sindh High Court has asked the “Bangladesh cell” of the provincial government to duly verify documents of the two petitioners alleged to have illegally migrated from Dhaka and restrained the police from harassing them.
The petitioners submitted through Advocate Abdul Haq that they had genuine national identity cards and Pakistani passports, which had been issued by the authorities after verification of their documents and antecedents.
However, the provincial government’s “Bangladesh cell” and the police were out to harass them. They were being forced to surrender their computerised national identity cards issued by NADRA and register with the National Aliens Registration Authority and obtain new identity cards meant for foreigners.
Additional Advocate-General Abbas Ali stated that the national identity cards and passports were not conclusive proof of Pakistani citizenship under a notification issued by the ministry of interior in May 1995. Measures were being taken by the government to check illegal immigration, particularly into Karachi, and NARA had been set up to register aliens and regularize their stay. A cell has been set up by the provincial government to facilitate the task.
A division bench, comprising Justices Zahid Kurban Alavi and Zia Perwez, directed the authorities to examine and verify the documents produced by the petitioners as required by the law.
KESC RESTRAINED: The bench, meanwhile, restrained the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation from severing the connection of an alleged defaulter who has moved a petition in the high court. Ghulam Rasool Soomro submitted through Advocate Shaukat Ali Shaikh that he never defaulted on or delayed the payment of utility bills.
However, the KESC staff visited his residence on Ispahani Road and issued him a “detection” bill for Rs 199,000. The bench noted that the petitioner had already started payment of the impugned bill in small instalments and observed that the same be adjusted against future bills should his petition succeed.
NOTICE FOR CONTEMPT: The bench also issued a notice to the federal establishment secretary to show cause on Dec 10 why he should not be proceeded against for contempt of court. Advocate Mansoorul Haq Solangi complained that the court directed the secretary to decide the representation of a dismissed deputy director, Mohammad Ali Shah Bukhari, within a reasonable period of time but he had not taken any action and was in recurring violation of the order. He requested that the secretary should be tried for contempt of court.
DEGREE CANCELLATION: The Sindh High Court declined on Thursday an NWFP Assembly member’s plea to stay the operation of a Karachi University letter pronouncing his graduation degree forged and fabricated.
MPA Malik Imran Khan of Laki Marwat (NWFP) moved a writ petition requesting the court to declare the letter unlawful, of no legal effect and inoperative. In the meantime, he sought an interim order against the impugned letter. Refusing an interim order, a division bench, comprising Justices Zahid Kurban Alavi and Zia Perwez, adjourned the hearing of the petition to a date in office after hearing the university counsel, Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui.
A voter of the Laki Marwat provincial constituency has moved a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court for disqualification of Malik Imran for not being a graduate and also for annexing a fake degree to his nomination papers at the time of elections in October 2002. The letter was addressed by the University of Karachi to the Anti-Corruption Establishment in response to an inquiry made by the latter.
KU counsel Nadeem Azhar briefly sought time to submit a detailed reply after seeking instructions from the university and the bench adjourned further proceedings to a date in office.
