PESHAWAR, March 5: The Peshawar High Court on Monday summoned the excise and taxation officer (ETO) in a case of two vehicles bearing same registration number. The issue has been lingering on in courts for almost a decade. Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan ordered that the ETO should appear along with all the relevant record on March 19. The court also directed owners of the two vehicles to appear in person.

The court was hearing an appeal filed by one Nasrullah Khan challenging order of a judicial magistrate who had declined to grant possession of one of the two vehicles to him. Both the vehicles had been under supervision of the local police for past many years.

According to details officials of the Chamkani police station had taken into possession a double-cabin pick-up with registration number PRO-5666 and the new computerised number Peshawar-B 4342.

An FIR was registered against the then owner of the vehicle, Ahtesham, on Dec 25, 1997, as laboratory report proved that its engine and chassis numbers had been tampered with. Ahtesham claimed that he had bought the vehicle from one Zar Nawaz.

While the issue was pending, Zar Nawaz submitted an application with the police that he had come to know that another vehicle carrying same registration number of PRO-5666 had been plying on the road.

He stated that the owner of that vehicle, Nasrullah Khan, had obtained duplicate registration papers from the local excise office. On his application the vehicle, which was bearing computerised number Peshawar-B 9024, was also taken into possession by the local police.

Nasrullah and Zar Nawaz had been engaged in legal wrangling since then and various applications and petitions had been disposed of by various courts, including the high court, sessions court and that of judicial magistrate.

Finally, Nasrullah filed an application before the judicial magistrate requesting that his vehicle Peshawar-B 9024 should be given to him on ‘superdari’ as the main case could not be concluded despite the lapse of many years. The court dismissed his application and he assailed that order before the high court.

Advocate Mohammad Jamil appeared for Nasrullah and stated that the ownership of the vehicle was clear as it was taken into possession by the police from Nasrullah.

He said that he had acquired the duplicate registration papers as he had lost the original papers in 1994.

Advocate Khalid Khan Afridi appeared for Zar Nawaz and contended that as the original registration belonged to Mr Nawaz, therefore he was entitled to be given the vehicle No B-9024.