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KARACHI, March 20: Justice Mushir Alam of the Sindh High Court restrained the Habib Bank from disbursing the auction bid amount released by or realized from the privatization commission chairman or the custodian of the Hyatt Regency project till April 1.
The amount was to be disbursed to the ABL, MCB,UBL and NBP, which are members of a consortium of creditor banks entitled to receive the bid amount. The restraint order was passed on a stay application filed by Advocates Kamal Azfar and Saalim Salam Ansari on behalf of the Karachi Properties Investment Company Limited, the original owners of the project.
The counsel argued that the original owners, who were advanced a loan of Rs 89,623,995 by the five-bank consortium in 1974, were entitled to receive the balance of the bid amount after payment of government dues under the State Bank's debt relief scheme.
The court fixed April 1 for further hearing of the plea and restrained the HBL from disbursing the bid amount in the meanwhile.
PLEA DISPOSED OF: The Sindh High Court disposed of a petition alleging propagation of obscenity and vulgarity by cable TV operators on Friday with an observation that the petitioner had a remedy to agitate his grievance before a panel constituted by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority for the purpose.
The petitioner, Haji Gul Ahmed, said the Pemra has not notified a council of complaints to entertain public objections to and criticism of TV programmes as required by the law and rules.
Deputy Attorney-General Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui produced a copy of a Pemra 'public notice' advertized in the press on February 16. It said a council of complaints for the Sindh region had been functional for one year.
The council, the Pemra notice said, is empowered to receive, review and redress public complaints on any aspect of the programmes being relayed by the TV cable operators or broadcast by FM radio stations and satellite TV channels licensed by the authority.
Comprising Nazim F. Haji (commissioner of complaints), Mumtaz Rashdi, Tariq Hassan, Shaukat Iqbal, Fatima Suraiya Bajia and Dr Saira S. Khan (members), the council has its office in Clifton (Bath Island, Block 7).
A division bench comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali and S. Ali Aslam Jafri overruled the petitioner's objection that a public notice did not amount to a notification and asked him to approach the council.
BAIL GRANTED: A government official charged with the murder of his wife was granted protective bail by the Sindh High Court on Saturday to enable him to appear before the Khairpur sessions court.
Sub-registrar Manzoor Hussain Shaikh submitted through Advocate M. Nawaz Shaikh that he was involved in a murder case registered by the Khairpur A-Section police station on his own report on August 27, 2003.
He apprehended his arrest on his way to the sessions court. He said he had been falsely involved for extortion of illegal gratification from him. He was responsible for the maintenance of his five minor children.
Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro granted the applicant protective bail till March 30 subject to his furnishing security in the sum of Rs 100,000 and a personal bond in the like amount to the satisfaction of the SHC nazir.
