KARACHI, Sept 26: The Sindh High Court on Monday issued a notice to the state in a petition seeking expeditious trial of Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case. Petitioner Haji Khan is the brother of Abdul Sattar Rajpar, who was also killed along with PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) leader Murtaza Bhutto in an alleged shootout near his Clifton residence on Sept 20, 1996. Ashiq Hussain Jatoi, the party vice-president, was among the seven associates of the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s son killed in police firing. Mir Murtaza and his convoy was intercepted on their return from a party meeting at Surjani Town.
A number of police officers, former PPP chief minister Abdullah Baloch, who is absconding, are among the accused besides the husband of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, former minister Asif Ali Zardari.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mehmood A. Qureshi, submitted before Justice Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery on Monday that only 32 of the 103 witnesses had been examined during nine years of proceedings in the multiple murder case. On petitions for expeditious conduct of trial, the Sindh High Court twice ordered the trial sessions court to hold day-to-day proceedings. No evidence, the lawyer said, had been recorded since Sept 11, 2004, when the last witness was examined. The trial was nowhere near completion despite the lapse of nine years.
He requested the high court to ask the trial court to comply with its directions in letter and spirit and conduct and conclude the proceedings speedily.
Justice Jaffery issued the respondent state a notice for Oct 10.
HOUSING SOCIETY: The Sindh High Court extended on Saturday the date for election of a new managing committee for the PIB Co-operative Housing Society.
On a petition moved by the society’s honorary secretary, Suleman Ahmed, and three members of the superseded managing committee, an SHC division bench had asked its administrator in May 2005 to hold elections for a new managing committee and office-bearers by Sept 29.
The administrator approached the high court through the advocate-general for extension of the deadline. Additional Advocate-General M. Ahmed Pirzada submitted on behalf of the administrator that the housing society had about 3000 members. The final list of voters could not be drawn because of objections to the membership of a number of members.
About 23 candidates, the AAG said, were contesting the nine managing committee seats and there were two contestants for the office of president. There were objections to nomination papers, which could not be decided in the absence of a final list of members/voters.
The AAG submitted that the administrator was earnest in complying with the court order and hold elections on Sept 29 but he faced difficulties, which threatened the fairness and impartiality of the polls. He sought six months more for conducting fair polls in accordance with the court order.
A division bench, comprising Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Azizullah M. Memon, allowed extension for a week and issued notices to the petitioners for Sept 29.
