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KARACHI, April 20: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday, allowing a petition by Commodore (retd) Mirza Ashfaq Baig against ban on his travel abroad, ordered deletion of petitioner’s name from the Exit Control List. The petitioner, who was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz (military), said on account of placement of his name on the ECL by the FIA he had been facing hardship. He submitted that after retirement he received an employment offer in Saudi Arabia but due to placement of his name in ECL, he could not travel abroad.
His petition was heard by the SHC’s division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Maqbool Baqar, which after hearing the counsel allowed him to travel abroad directing the FIA to issue him travel documents.
Mirza Ashfaq Baig, along with former naval chief Mansoorul Haq, were convicted by the Accountability Court in Karachi for causing loss of over Rs1.8 billion to the national exchequer in procurement of three vessels for Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC). However, their conviction was turned down by the high court. The NAB filed an appeal against the high court order in Supreme Court which is still pending since last year.
BAIL GRANTED: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to ex-deputy managing director of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board with a surety of Rs one million in a corruption case.
Aftab Ahmed was facing a corruption reference in an accountability court. NAB accused him of accumulating wealth and properties beyond his legal sources of income and by act of corrupt practices.
SHC’s division bench, comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Azizullah M Memon, after hearing counsel observed that the applicant had made a case for bail and ordered his release on furnishing surety.
SALMA CASE: The same court adjourned bail application of Ms Salma Ahmed, directing the deputy prosecutor general NAB to submit audit reports of the funds on the next date of hearing on April 27.
Ms Ahmed, who is also chairperson of Pakistan Association of Women Enterprises (PAWE), is accused of misappropriating and misusing Rs13.3 million in funds of Export Promotion Bureau EPB.
The NAB alleged that the EPB gave her Rs13.3 million to establish a fashion design technology centre, but she used funds for other commercial purposes.
The court, adjourning the matter, continued the interim order that the petitioner lady, who is now admitted to NICVD should not be removed from the hospital till the next hearing.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Justice Mohammad Sadiq Leghari of Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted bail application to a man in human trafficking case and ordered his release with a surety of Rs100,000.
Mohammad Anwar was arrested by the FIA for smuggling his son to Dubai for camel race. Prosecution charged that two children, Mohammad Saleem and Qamar Abbas, from Faisalabad were trafficked to Dubai by their fathers in collusion with Ms Zainab Bibi and Shareef Chachar on April 19, 2001. The children were forced to take part as camel jockeys in races.
The Pakistani consulate general in UAE sent the children to Karachi and a case was registered by the FIA under Section 3 (I) 4 of Prevention of Human Trafficking Ordinance.
Applicant’s counsel Shamsul Hadi submitted that FIA falsely implicated his client in this case as there was no case made out against him. He argued that the applicant is real father of Qamar and the family became a victim of circumstances.
The children were sent to UAE for a better future and earning money not for camel races. The federal law officer was called absent for arguments.
The court, after hearing the counsel, observed that apparently silence about emigration of applicant’s child to foreign leaves legitimate interface about his involvement in episode and ordered the release of the applicant on bail.—PPI
