March 22, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1428

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RAWALPINDI, March 21: Government’s law officers deposing before a court here on Tuesday proved the euphemism that one hand of the government does not know what the other is doing.

Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha of the Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) was annoyed when police and jail officials informed him that his order to release a detained person had been carried out but a government counsel informed him that a Review Board had extended the detention of the man.

Justice Paracha was hearing a petition that his March 8 order declaring a previous such extension illegal and directing the superintendent of Adiala Jail and the federal and provincial government representatives to release Mehboob Illahi, a brother of MMA MNA from Karak Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, had been ignored by these authorities.

When the petition came up for hearing on Tuesday, the officials of Adiala Jail, DSP legal and federal lawyer gave conflicting statements.

First, the DSP legal and superintendent and deputy superintendent of Adiala jail informed the court that Mr Mehboob Illahi was not in their custody because he had been released after the learned judge orders on March 8.

After petitioner’s counsel Basharatullah Khan contested the statement, the federal counsel Shamshadullah Cheema appeared before the court to say that Mr Mehboob Illahi was still being held as his detention had been extended.