0
KARACHI, Aug 15: The Sindh High Court dismissed on Monday a petition moved to ensure safety of an arrested absconder in the US journalist Daniel Pearl kidnapping-and-murder case. Petitioner Imran Khalid submitted that his brother, Mohammad Hashim, had been arrested in Gujranwala. He was declared an absconder in the 2002 murder case of Daniel Pearl by an anti-terrorism court but his arrest has been shown to have been made in a ‘blind’ murder case and his remand has also been obtained in that case.
His counsel, Advocate Rai Bashir, submitted before a division bench that two accused in the case, Amjad Farooqui and Asim alias Qasim, had earlier been killed in police encounters and the petitioner feared that his brother might meet the same fate. He sought a list of the cases registered against Hashim.
Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan said the accused was in the lawful police custody. His remand had been secured from a competent court. It was not necessary for the police to arrest an accused in a particular case if other cases were pending against him. Lawful custody ensured his safety, the AAG said
The bench, which consisted of Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Azizullah M. Memon, dismissed the petition after hearing the counsel.
BAIL GRANTED: Another division bench comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Syed Zawwar Hussain Jaffery granted bail to an accused sought to be arrested by the National Accountability Bureau for living beyond his ostensible sources of income. Advocate Mohammad Ashraff Kazi and Jan Mohammad Khuhro argued that the NAB had launched its investigations on a complaint made by sub-registrar S.M. Qureshi’s estranged son-in-law, who was facing a suit for dissolution of marriage moved by his daughter.
The lawyers said there was no case against the applicant and some NAB official had apparently become involved in an intra-family dispute.
PROTECTIVE BAIL: The bench comprising Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Azizullah M. Memon extended businessman Abdul Jabbar protective bail till Sept 5.
His counsel, Advocate Farooq H. Naek, submitted that the applicant was a co-accused with former chief minister Abdullah Shah in a plot conversion case. He wanted to return home to face the charges and was prepared to surrender before the high court. The bench admitted him to interim bail against two sureties of Rs 5 million each.
PROMOTION STAYED: A division bench comprising Chief Justices Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro restrained the establishment from making any promotion in grade 21 from among the officers of income tax group. The order came on a contempt plea moved by income tax Khan Mutiur Rahman. He alleged that his case for promotion to grade 21 was not considered by the central selection board despite a court order. The bench gave the official respondents two weeks to file affidavits and adjourned further hearing to August 30.
SHIP DETAINED: Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri barred a ship of M/s Golden Shipping Lines of Singapore from leaving the Karachi Port without satisfaying the claim of a plaintiff ghee mill, which submitted through Advocate Nisar A. Mujahid, that a considerable quantity of the plam oil imported by it was misappropriated by the shippers. The court asked the shipowners to pay $7768 to the plaintiff by Tuesday.
