21 February 2004	Saturday	29 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 20: A division bench of the High Court of Sindh (SHC), comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jaffery, on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the alleged illegal detention of nuclear scientists of the Kahuta Research Laboratory as not maintainable.

The bench at the outset asked petitioner Haji Gul to satisfy the court on the maintainability. The bench also observed that a petition involving identical issue was being heard by the Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court and thus could not be entertained at Karachi for want of jurisdiction.

The bench then dismissed it as not maintainable. Another bench of the SHC comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Zia Pervez admitted Sadaruddin Ghanchi, a local businessman, to bail against a solvent surety of Rs1 million. The applicant was accused of defrauding the Allied Bank Limited.

SENTENCE SET ASIDE: An appellate bench of the High Court of Sindh, comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Muhammed Mujeebullah Siddiqui, on Friday set aside the sentence awarded to an accused but maintained the sentence awarded to a co-accused.

Muhammed Shakeel and Muhammed Ameen preferred appeal against the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to them by an anti-narcotics court on a charge of being in possession of 602 kilograms of charas. Both accused were arrested in 1999.

The bench after hearing the counsel for appellants and the state counsel maintained the sentence awarded to appellant Muhammed Shakeel and set aside a similar sentence hand-ed down to Muhammed Amin giving him the benefit of doubt.

HEARING PUT OFF: The district and sessions judge, Central Karachi, Pir Ali Bux Shah, on Friday adjourned hearing against Asif Ali Zardari, husband of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, in the Justice Nizam Ahmed murder case.

The charge could not framed against Asif Zardari and others as Asif Zardari was not produced before the court. The defence counsel told the court that Asif Ali Zardari had been operated upon in a hospital and his doctor had advised him to take six-week rest. The medical certificate was also produced in this regard.

Special Public Prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti, however, sought time to obtain instructions from the authorities concerned.

The court after hearing both sides' counsel adjourned the hearing till Feb 22. Asif Zardari, with three co-accused, Akhtar Javed Pirzada, Bilal Shaikh and Babar Sindhu, are facing the charges of double murder case. - APP/PPI