11 November 2004	Thursday	27 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Nov 10: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Kasur district police officer to register a criminal case against the Sahibanwali SHO, the area patwari and others , who damaged the standing crop of Ali Muhammad at the village.

Justice Muhammad Najamuzzaman also directed the DPO to personally investigate the incident and submit a report to the court.

The order was issued in the proceedings of a writ petition, filed by Ali Muhammad, a 70-year-old blind person, who alleged that the police in connivance with the patwari and other ruffians had not only damaged his standing crops on his small land at Sahibanwali village on Nov 3 but also posted certain gangsters on the land to prevent him from cultivating the farm measuring 18 kanals.

His counsel M D Tahir submitted that the patwari was behind the crime because the petitioner had not paid him illegal gratification for the issuance of a document.

He submitted that the petitioner was too poor to pay any illegal money.

SIALKOT CASE: A division bench of the Lahore High Court is due to hear on Thursday (today) a plea for bail before arrest of DIG Malik Muhammad Iqbal and 16 others, who fled the Anti-Terrorism Court of Gujranwala when their bails were cancelled on Nov 8.

They are accused of causing the death of four civil judges and five inmates of the Sialkot jail in an 'indiscriminate fire' to rescue 12 judicial officers, including the district and sessions judge, who were on a routine inspection and taken as hostages by the five inmates who were later gunned down.