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KARACHI, July 10: A division bench of the Sindh High Court stayed on Tuesday the construction and installation of a gas pump and station in a residential area of Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
The resident of a bungalow in block 15 of KDA scheme 36 submitted through Advocate Naveed Ahmad Khan that a compressed natural gas station was being set up on the plot (No B-1/1) adjacent to his residence.
The petitioner said that the pump would cause health and environmental hazards. It was all the more hazardous because a cellular tower had already been erected in immediate vicinity.
A division bench comprising Justices Mohammad Moosa K. Laghari and Mrs Qaiser Iqbal restrained the owner of the plot from allowing installation of any gas plant or machinery and issued him and the city and provincial governments notices for August 2. Two different benches had stayed the setting up of gas stations in residential areas in North Nazimabad and PECHS last month.
Pemra ordinance
The bench gave the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority until July 16 to file its comments on a petition against the new Pemra Ordinance.
Sindh Bar Council members Salahuddin Gandapur and Mohammad Aqil have challenged the June 4 ordinance for being repugnant to the freedom of expression, profession and business guaranteed by the Constitution.
Pemra counsel Kashif Hanif sought 15 days for filing a rejoinder. The request was opposed by the petitioners’ counsel, Mustafa Lakhani, who said the authority had already taken long to respond and was employing delaying tactics.
The bench fixed July 16 as the new date and warned the respondent authority that the matter would taken up ex parte if it failed to file its reply by that date. Another petition moved against the Pemra Ordinance by the People’s Lawyers Forum would also be heard on that date.
Protective bail
The bench also allowed protective bail to five members of a family till July 14 in the sum of Rs 100,000 each to enable them to appear before the trial sessions court to seek pre-arrest bail.
Mohammad Ishaq, his wife Saeeda Begum and his three stepsons are alleged to have poisoned to death Shazia, wife of one of the accused stepson.
The complaint had been lodged by the victim’s father, who is brother of Saeeda Begum’s former husband, Merajuddin. The complainant said his daughter was married to Irfan, son of his brother Merajuddin whose wife contracted a second marriage with Ishaq and lived with him along her three sons from the dissolved marriage. The case has been registered by the Mobina Town police station.
The applicants submitted through Advocate Khwaja Saiful Islam that Shazia died a natural death and that they had been implicated in the case at the behest of Merajuddin, who wanted to take revenge from Saeeda Begum and her family.
They said they wanted to surrender before the trial court of the district judge of East to seek bail but could be arrested by police before approaching the court.
Hoardings
A petition filed by Advocate Qadir Khan Mandokhel against the city district government for allowing large hoardings was adjourned to a date in office for compliance by the petitioner with the office requirement.
The office said the petitioner, who failed to appear on Tuesday, had neither paid the cost for executing service nor furnished copies of the petition for dispatch to the respondents.
