KARACHI: SHC admits insurance firm’s writ against probe: Alleged embezzlement
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 29: A division bench of the Sindh High Court admitted on Friday for regular hearing by a full bench next month a writ petition by a private insurance company against a probe instituted into its affairs by the Federal Investigation Agency.
Petitioner Adamjee Insurance Company submitted through Advocate Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqui that the FIA issued it notices, saying the agency had been asked by its director-general to investigate a massive misappropriation and embezzlement in the Pakistan Insurance Company, a public sector concern. Adamjee and its officials, the agency said, were among the beneficiaries of the misappropriation. The company, according to the counsel, furnished necessary documents but its officials continued to face ‘harassment’ by certain FIA personnel.
The counsel said the FIA had no authority to deal with issues pertaining to private insurance companies or, for that matter, probe the affairs of any private company.
The authority to look into company matters vests in the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, which could assign a probe to any investigation agency after a preliminary probe. The FIA decision was also hit by the Insurance Ordinance of 2000.
Admitting the plea, a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Maqbool Baqar, directed that it be heard by a full bench in May.
BLAST CASE: The Sindh High Court on Friday sent the record and procedure of the US Consulate blast case to Anti-Terrorism Court in Karachi, adds PPI.
ATC, headed by Judge Syed Aley Maqbool Rizvi, sent the reference to SHC’s division bench, comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Azizullah M Memon, hearing appeals of activists of Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Alami against conviction seeking record and procedure of the case.
Ten activists of the banned outfit, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Haneef, Mohammad Ashraf Khan, Sharib Arsalan Farooqui, Hafiz Zubair, Kamran, Mohammad Jamil, Habibullah Khatak, Navedul Hasan and Mustufa, were named in the FIR lodged at the Civil Lines in 2002. They allegedly blew up an explosive laden pickup near US Consulate on June 14, 2002, which resulted in the death of 12 people.
The court acquitted Ashraf Khan in the said case for lack of evidence and ordered that the case of the remaining absconding co-accused be kept in the dormant file.
Plea disposed of: The High Court on Friday disposed of plea against extradition of detained drug smuggler to the US after assurance of federal government that the accused was not being extradited to any country.
Mohammad Hasan Baloch, arrested in drug cases and confined in prison, alleged to have been involved with gang of international narcotics smugglers. His counsel Raja Qureshi expressing apprehension about his shifting to the US contended that it was likely to be made without following mandatory requirements of Extradition Act 1972.
The SHC’s division bench comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Maqbool Baqar was told by the federal government in its comments that the petitioner shall not be extradited and if it seemed necessary than all measures shall be taken in accordance with law. After assurance, the petitioner counsel did not press the petition and the court disposed of the same.
