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KARACHI, April 7: The new Japanese consulate building has been constructed in accordance with the approved design and building regulations, the Karachi Building Control Authority submitted before Justice Mushir Alam of the Sindh High Court on Thursday. KBCA counsel also informed the court that the authority had issued completion and occupancy certificates to the consulate in accordance with the rules. A copy of the statement submitted by him was ordered to be furnished to the plaintiff, an investment firm, which said the building on Haji Abdullah Haroon Road obstructed its passage.
In another case, the counsel informed a bench, comprising Justice S. Ali Aslam Jaferi and Zia Pervez, that the French consulate building on plot number A/12, Bath Island, Clifton, had been raised according to the approved plan.
The consulate was already functioning and a minor violation had been regularized by the KBCA under the law and rules.
The KBCA also contested claims made by a petitioner in respect of plot C-1, Bath Island, Clifton, and said that minor deviations from the approved plan were regularized under the law.
DAMAGES CLAIM: A government law officer sought time to file a rejoinder to a suit for damages instituted by Fahim Khan through Advocate Nasir Maqsood against police officers responsible for torturing him in illegal confinement. The plaintiff has claimed damages amounting to Rs 62 million on account of the disability suffered by him and mental torture inflicted on him and his family by the defendant officer. The suit is being heard by Justice Amir Hani Muslim.
PEARLE CASE: A Sindh High Court division bench adjourned on Thursday hearing of appeals in the Daniel Pearle murder case to April 13.
Main accused Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh’s father appeared in person along with his counsel, Abdul Waheed Katpar, and sought time to ‘go back to London’ to collect documents which have a bearing on his son’s innocence. He sought adjournment for about five weeks. He said he wanted to hand over the material to Mr Katpar for production in court.
The accused, who also holds British citizenship, had asked Mr Katpar on the last date to quit as his counsel if he was unable to obtain an adjournment. The bench, which consists of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Azizullah M. Memon, allowed an adjournment.
The bench observed on Thursday that the appeals had been pending since 2002 and there would be no further adjournment after April 13. Omar Shaikh was sentenced to death and Adil Shaikh, Salman Saqib and Fahad Naseem to life imprisonment for kidnapping and killing
Daniel Pearle was a French journalist working for Wall Street Journal. The convicts were also sentenced to pay fines and serve jail terms on other counts. They were to pay compensation to the victim’s widow, Mariane Pearle.
The convicts challenged their conviction and punishment in the high court and the prosecution moved an appeal for enhancement of the penalty awarded to three of them from life term to death. Advocates Khwaja Naveed Ahmed and Rai Bashir are appearing for the co-accused and Advocate Raja Qureshi as special public prosecutor.
NOTICES ISSUED: Justice Mohammad Sadiq Leghari of the Sindh High Court issued the Saddar town police officer and the SHO of the Saddar notices in a petition moved by a doctor against their refusal to register a case.
Dr Inayatullah Awan stated in his petition that he was disabled in an accident and was given a cheque for Rs 1,800,000 for accidental disability by his insurers. The cheque bounced and he wanted to register a case against the insurance company, besides initiating civil proceedings. His claim was decreed by a civil court but the Saddar police station declined to register a criminal complaint, he alleged, requesting the court to direct the police to act in accordance with the law.
