PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Friday asked the provincial government and other relevant officials to file own replies to a petition of several Peshawar City District councillors on a dispute with the Town Council I administration over the ownership of different bus terminals.

Justice Mussarat Hilali and Justice Syed Afsar Shah directed the respondents including the provincial government through chief secretary, local government secretary, director general of the local government department, Town I administration and others to clarify their respective positions on the matter.

Through a petition, district councillors led by Mubashir Manzoor challenged an advertisement issued few days ago by the Town I administration for awarding contracts of the General Bus Stand and bus terminal for Karkhano Bazaar vehicles.

Several district councillors have challenged advert for contracts of bus terminals in Peshawar

Both the terminals are situated in Town I.

Senior advocate Abdul Rauf Rohaila appeared for the petitioners and contended that the bus terminals in question were major revenue generating sources for the district.

He said according to Part-B of the first schedule of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, public transport was the responsibility of the city district.

The lawyer said according to that law, the additional group of offices in city district also included public transportation and mass transit, passenger and freight transit terminals, traffic planning, engineering and parking.

The controversy had emerged between the Peshawar City District government and the Town I administration after the local government polls were held under the KP Local Government Act, 2013.

Both the administrations have been claiming ownership of the bus terminals.

CORRUPTION SUSPECT FREED: An accountability court on Friday ordered the release of a corruption suspect, Rukhsar Mohammad, after he turned approver against his father, Akhtar Mohammad, who had allegedly concealed a precious plot in Islamabad from the National Accountability Bureau in a previous case against him.

The prime accused, Akhtar Mohammad, was earlier convicted by an accountability court in June 2015, and was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs34.5 million fine after he was found guilty of receiving bribe from a private contractor on the pretext of quashing an inquiry against him in a high-profile arms corruption case.

The accused had received bribe from contractor Arshad Majeed promising him that he would influence the NAB for quashing inquiry against him in the case.

Subsequently, the NAB came to know that during pendency of that case, the accused had concealed one of his property, a plot worth Rs10 million from the NAB, and through a power of attorney on the name of his son, Rukhsar. the said plot was later on sold out to Habib Syed.

An investigation officer of NAB, Enayatullah Khan, told the court that suspect Rukhsar was also in the case pertaining to possession of precious plot and now he had agreed to testify against his father.

He added that as the suspect had turned approver, the NAB had no objection if he was set free by the court.

In the arms procurement case, Arshad Majeed have turned approver, while former provincial police officer Malik Naveed and police budget officer Jawed Khan face trial.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2015