LAHORE: A member of a defunct organisation convicted for possessing explosives has filed an appeal before the Lahore High Court (LHC) for suspension of his five-year sentence awarded by an anti-terrorism court.

Imdadullah Haideri pleaded through his counsel that the CTD Faisalabad had lodged a false case against him. He said the trial court had ignored facts of the case and contradiction in the statements of the prosecution witnesses.

The appellant said he had been languishing in jail for two years and his main appeal against the sentence had not been so far fixed for hearing; therefore, the sentence be suspended immediately till the main appeal was not heard by the high court.

BAIL: A man arrested for blackmailing a female lawyer through alleged objectionable videos and photos has approached the LHC for his release on bail.

Petitioner Muhammad Ramzan pleaded that FIA’s cybercrime wing had lodged a case against him in 2017 on the complaint of Advocate Nazma. He said the complainant lawyer had implicated him in a fabricated case to settle a personal score as he used to work in her chamber as stenographer. He pointed out that the high court, in 2019, had directed the trial court to conclude the trial proceedings within two months.

However, he said, the trial had not been so far concluded as the complainant, being a lawyer, had been influencing the proceedings.

VACANCY: General Hospital’s neuroradiology department head Dr Umair Rashid has moved the LHC, challenging the interviews being conducted for vacant post of neuroradiologists.

The petitioner, through his counsel, contended the candidates with less eligibility criteria were being called for interviews. He pointed out that posts of professor, assistant professor, associate professor and registrar were lying vacant in the department and interviews were being conducted to fill the vacancies. He said the radiologists were being interviewed for the post meant for neuroradiologists in violation of merit.

He asked the court to set aside ongoing recruitment process for neuroradiologists posts and order the competent authority to make fresh appointments.

Justice Ayesha A Malik will take up the petition on Monday.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020