KARACHI, Oct 11: A division bench of the High Court of Sindh comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Maqbool Baqar on Wednesday reserved the verdict on a petition seeking the restoration of a green belt to its original position by removing alleged unauthorised construction.
The bench was hearing a petition moved by the Pakistan Employees Co-operative Housing Society through Advocate Mushtaq Memon.
The petitioner submitted that the site measuring about six acres at the PECHS, Block-6, was to be developed as a model park by the society, but it had been taken over by the city government.
Representing the city government, Advocate Manzoor Ahmed stated that the city government had taken over the site in order to develop the green belt between the society's block 6 and Mahmoodabad as a park, not for commercial purposes, but for the public.
The petitioner sought directions of the court for the restoration of the green belt to its original position by removing the alleged unauthorised construction at the site and that the construction of a model park be declared illegal.
Alliance case: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the Accountability Court to decide the case of a co-accused in the Alliance Motors scam within seven days after concluding his cross-examination on Oct 13.
The court, however, made clear that the petitioner would be released on bail subject to furnishing a surety in the sum of Rs1 million if the case was not decided within seven days.
Sheikh Ajazur Rehman, who was arrested on June 19, 2002, was facing trial with others in the Accountability Court.
According to the prosecution, the petitioner purchased properties from the money of the main accused and director of Alliance Motor Asghar, Ali Qureshi, as benamidar of the company.His counsel Farogh Naseem contended under the NAB Ordinance that the trial be concluded within 30 days. He submitted that almost 26 persons had been extended the benefit of bail and even one of the co-accused, Khawaja Mohammad Ramzan, was acquitted by the trial court on Oct 7.
He also prayed that the case of the petitioner was much better than the case of Khwaja Mohammad Ramzan who was acquitted.—APP/PPI
