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KARACHI, Aug 12: The Sindh High Court on Thursday granted time to a provincial law officer to verify the fact that if any proposed treatment for ex-Senator Asif Ali Zardari is available at the Ziauddin Hospital Karachi or such a treatment was available in Islamabad also.
The court was hearing an application submitted by Benazir Bhutto against the shifting of Mr Zardari to Islamabad and seeking directions to the trial court to keep him in Karachi for treatment.
On a previous hearing, time was allowed to Additional Advocate General Ahmed Pirzada to verify facts in this regard. Mr Pirzada was not present before court on Thursday. AAG Habib Ahmed, who was present in the court, stated that he may collect such an information if time is allowed to him.
Asif's counsel Akhtar Hussain said as it was a matter of his client's health, short adjournment be allowed. SHC's division bench, comprising Justice Wahid Bux Brohi and Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffery, put off the hearing on the request of the AAG and in the meantime continued the interim orders passed earlier asking the Sindh government not to shift Asif Zardari from Karachi till Aug 18.
Meanwhile, Ilyas Khan, special prosecutor in Murtuza Bhutto murder case against Asif Zardari and others, has denied that the prosecution was delaying the trial. He appeared in the court on a notice and informed about the progress in the trial of Murtaza Bhutto murder case.
JUDGMENT RESERVED: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery, on Thursday reserved judgment on a petition challenging the installation of a phone tower in Defence Housing Authority.
Dr Nazir Ahmed Chaudhry, Shahid Paracha and Bushra Hasan, in a constitutional petition, submitted that the Ufone company was installing a 200 feet high phone tower in the IIIrd Central Lane, Phase-II DHA, Karachi, adjoining their residences.
The commissioner, who was appointed by the court to submit a report about the existing position of the site whether the tower is already operational or not, submitted its report.
It was the contention of the petitioners that the tower is being set up without obtaining prior permission and in violation of construction bylaws of the DHA, and no precautionary steps were taken by the respondents. They submitted that the construction of phone tower would be hazardous to their lives and properties.
NOTICE ISSUED: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the director-general of the National Aliens' Registration Authority to appear before the court personally on Aug 28.
The bench, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, was hearing a constitutional petition filed by Mohammad Khalil, which challenged the arrest of his friend Mahfooz Qadri.
When the petition was called, only AAG Sindh M Ahmed Pirzada was present while none appeared for respondents, including NARA. M R Zia Rana, advocate, appearing for the petitioner, informed the bench that the detainee was a Pakistani and was unlawfully detained by the FIA Passport Cell.
The accused/detainee has been remanded to judicial custody and is now confined in Karachi Central Prison (KCP). The bench, after hearing the sides, noted that none is present for NARA despite it was 1 p.m. The bench then put off further hearing till Aug 26 issuing notice to DAG and DG, NARA. -PPI/APP
