LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered the excise and taxation department to stop registration of vehicles to applicants having no driving licence.

Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi also summoned the excise secretary on Friday (today) to assist the court on implementation of the restriction.

Hearing a petition moved by civil society member Abdullah Malik, the judge expressed concern over registration of the vehicles in the name of those having no driving licences.

Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique told the court that driving without licence was one of the main reasons behind 70 per cent road accidents in the city. He requested the court to impose a ban on registration of vehicles without driving licences.

In a separate matter, Justice Qureshi summoned representatives of motorcycle manufacturing companies to discuss provision of good quality helmets to buyers of motorcycles.

The judge observed that the motorcycle manufacturing companies should play their role in safety of citizens.

Representing his petition, Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhry said the companies had been earning billions of rupees but not contributing towards public safety. He said the companies should be ordered to provide a complimentary helmet to buyer of their bike.

Justice Qureshi admitted the petition for regular hearing and summoned representatives of the bike manufacturing companies for Oct 24.

Meanwhile, the judge summoned director generals of LDA, PHA and Tepa on Friday (today) to explain delay in restoration of Punjab University’s parks utilised by contractors of Orange Line Metro Train project.

The judge also summoned owners of the construction companies as the counsel for the university complained that the companies had not started restoration work on the parks despite court’s order.

Christian divorce law: A Lahore High Court division bench on Thursday directed the Punjab Commission on Status of Women (PCSW) to submit a copy of a bill draft regarding amendment to the Christian Divorce Act 1869.

Earlier, commission’s chairperson Fauzia Viqar told the bench that a bill had been drafted by the federal government to introduce amendments to the divorce act to protect dignity of women by enabling Christian men to dissolve their marriages without accusing their wives of adultery. She said the Punjab government could adopt the same bill if passed by the National Assembly.

Ms Viqar further said the commission also worked to reform and review the Christian divorce law and drafted a bill on the subject.

The bench headed by Justice Ayesha A. Malik directed the commission to submit a copy of the bill drafts on next hearing. It also asked the provincial government to come up with a progress report on legislation and adjourned the hearing till Nov 19.

The bench was hearing an intra-court appeal (ICA) challenging last year’s decision of a single bench that had reinstated section 7 of the Divorce Act enabling Christian men to dissolve their marriages on reasonable grounds without imputing false charges of adultery upon their wives in order to seek divorce from a court.

The section 7 of the Act was repealed by military ruler Ziaul Haq through a presidential ordinance in 1981 leaving no ground for Christian men for divorcing their wives except on adultery charges. Advocate Sheraz Zaka had filed a petition on behalf of a Christian man for the restoration of the section.

Later, another Christian namely Emanuel Francis challenged the single bench’s decision through the ICA by declaring it against religious beliefs of Christianity. He contended that a court could not restore a law once repealed by parliament.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2018