KARACHI, May 28: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of a 1995 writ petition challenging a provincial government notification putting a price of Rs 3 million on Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq’s head.

The petition was filed by Ms Raisa Farooq, mother of Dr Imran Farooq. Another petition, challenging an identical notification announcing a “head money” of Rs 2 million for another MQM leader, Saleem Shahzad, in January 1995 was filed by his wife.

The notifications said the two accused were required in a number of heinous offences registered by the police. They were declared proclaimed offenders and rewards were announced for their arrest or capture, dead or alive.

The petitioners said the 1995 notifications were violative of the Supreme Court and SHC judgments on the issue of “head money”.

Dr Imran Farooq had also had a price fixed on his head in 1992. The proclamation was challenged by his mother and an SHC division bench, comprising former chief justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and Justice Shaukat Hussein Zubaidi, declared the “head money” illegal and unconstitutional.

The judgment was challenged by the provincial government but was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The two petitions came up before a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Ghulam Rabbani, on Wednesday. No counsel was present to represent the petitioner.

Additional Advocate-General Qazi Khalid Ali, who appeared for the respondent provincial government, submitted that according his information, the petitions had already been dismissed for non-prosecution.