MULTAN, Feb 20: A division bench of the Lahore High Court, Multan bench, on Tuesday directed the Muzaffargarh district and sessions judge not to preside over a budget meeting of the district council but maintained the suspension of the district naib nazim.

On Feb 6, the court had suspended Syed Ali Raza Shamsi, district naib nazim, and ordered the district and sessions judge to call a budget session of the council. The district and sessions judge called the session on Feb 20.

On Feb 16, the Punjab government moved the division bench against the decision of the single bench seeking the restoration of a budget prepared by the local bodies secretary. Shamsi had also moved the division bench against his suspension. Similarly, a petition of contempt of court by District Nazim Abdul Qayyum Jatoi was filed against the Punjab government, the provincial law minister, the district police officer and the district coordination officer.

Jatoi filed his petition with Justice Jahangir Arshad who transferred it to the division bench. All the three petitions would be heard on March 5.

Muzaffargarh correspondent adds: Up to 58 union council nazims from the district nazim’s group were present at the District Council Hall when the district and sessions judge received an order from the division bench of the Lahore High Court, Multan bench, to suspend the session. Nazims from the suspended naib nazim’s group boycotted the session.

Jatoi belongs to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and before becoming district nazim in 2005, he was a member of the National Assembly from the PPP.