January 26, 2006	Thursday	Zilhaj 25, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 25: The Sindh High Court has asked a federal attorney on Wednesday to seek information about the report of the prime minister’s inspection team, which is claimed by petitioner Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh to have exonerated him from the corruption charges levelled against him, and adjourned further hearing of a petition jointly moved by him and his brother to Jan 31.

The former revenue minister and his brother, Maqbool Ahmed Shaikh, said in their petition that they were being victimized by the chief minister and all corruption and criminal cases had been instituted by the provincial police and anti-corruption establishment at CM’s behest.

They said a detailed inquiry was conducted into the charges against him by the prime minister’s inspection team, which exonerated him.

The petitioners prayed that all the cases and investigations against them should be transferred to the federal interior ministry. They had been granted interim pre-arrest bail almost all the cases but the police should be permanently restrained from registering new cases or arresting them without the high court’s permission. They should also be provided security by a federal agency.

Additional Advocate-General M. Ahmed Pirzada has opposed the petition as not maintainable as the relief sought amounts to obstructing the process of law.

He argued that the issue of maintainability should be decided before proceeding with the petition.

As the petition came up before a division bench, comprising Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Zia Pervez, on Wednesday, it asked federal government standing counsel Syed Ziauddin Nasir whether he had any knowledge of the PM inspection team’s report. The counsel said he had no information and would seek instructions from the interior ministry and the PM’s secretariat. The bench adjourned the hearing to Jan 31. Advocates Raja Qureshi and Raza Hashmi are appearing for the petitioner and the state.