KARACHI, Oct 9: The Sindh High Court adjourned the hearing of the Webb Ground case to Oct 31 to enable the deputy attorney-general to submit comments on behalf of the defence ministry.
The ministry had been made a respondent in view of the contention raised by M/s Makro-Habib, which is constructing a cash-and-carry store on the Lines Area ground.
The respondent firm said the land initially belonged to the military estate office, which transferred it to the Army Welfare Trust.
The trust leased it out to the firm for construction of a department store. Petitioners Mehfoozun Nabi Khan and Shehri argue that the ground had long been used as a playing field and could not now be converted into commercial premises.
Deputy Attorney-General Rizwan A. Siddiqui told a division bench hearing the petition that he had not been able to obtain full information from the military estate office and needed more time to seek comments from the defence ministry to ascertain the ownership of the ground.
In reply to a query by the bench, which consists of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Ali Sain Dino Metlo, the DAG conceded that an amenity plot could not be put to commercial use.
But, he hastened to add, the status and ownership of the plot was yet to be determined. The city district government had also claimed its ownership.
Promotion plea
The Sindh High Court issued notices to the central selection board and the establishment secretary for Oct 30 in a petition moved by an acting income tax commissioner for his promotion.
Petitioner Sajjad Ahmad’s counsel, Mansoorul Haq Solangi, submitted before a division bench comprising Justices Maqbool Baqar and Mrs Yasmin Abbasy that he had already been allowed move-over.
The petitioner had also been given the officiating charge of commissioner but was not being promoted.
He was holding a grade 20 post without being promoted to that grade. The matter warranted consideration by the high court in exercise of its writ jurisdiction. He was proceeded against once under the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance for allegedly possessing assets beyond his known sources of income but was acquitted by an accountability court.
