01 January 2005	Saturday	19 Ziqa'ad 1425

KARACHI, Dec 31: The Sindh High Court issued the advocate-general on Friday a pre-admission notice for Jan 4 on a petition challenging the bifurcation of Larkana district.

The petition, moved by the relieved district nazim, Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, through Advocate Nafees Siddiqui, maintained that the decision was politically motivated.

Public representatives, including him, were not consulted and the chief minister took the decision to strengthen his position in the district before the local and general elections. Several people were killed in the protest against the bifurcation.

The petitioner prayed that the impugned notification be declared repugnant to the principles of natural justice, arbitrary and illegal and that the government be permanently restrained from bifurcating the district. The petition cites the government of Sindh, the chief minister and the revenue minister as respondents.