LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the interior ministry and the attorney general of Pakistan on a contempt petition filed by Barrister Iqbal Jafferry, counsel for Dr Aafia Siddiqui, an American captive.

The counsel submitted that the court had earlier directed the government to take necessary actions for the release and repatriation of Dr Aafia, but it did not comply with court orders. He said the court had also asked the government to move the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the release of Dr Aafia, but the government remained failed.

Barrister Jaffery said the government engaged a panel of US lawyers on a hefty fee for contesting the case but did not bother to move the ICJ which cost nothing.

He requested the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against respondents for defying court orders.

NRO: A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court seeking disqualification of all those who got cancelled their corruption cases under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). The petition was moved by Barrister Iqbal Jafferry who further requested the court to direct all leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, to bring back their huge money deposited in foreign banks.

The petitioner said that Nawaz Sharif had foreign bank accounts of two billion dollars and Asif Zardari accumulated 1.8 billion dollars through unfair means.

He sought a life-term ban on politicians who took benefit of the NRO and recovery of public money looted by them.

PLEA DISMISSED: The LHC on Wednesday dismissed petitions of two sugar mills which had a restraining order for the Punjab government against seizing of sugar beyond 30 per cent settled quota of the government.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed while dismissing the petitions observed that since the matter was pending before the Supreme Court the high court could not hear the matter.

The petitions were filed by the owners of Gunj Shakar Sugar Mills and Brothers Sugar Mills. Petitioners’ counsel had argued that they had reached an agreement before the Supreme Court that 30 per cent of the total sugar production would be supplied at Rs40 for common use while 70 per cent was to be supplied for commercial use.