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KARACHI, Oct 2: The Sindh High Court issued notices to a federal attorney and the National Accountability Bureau counsel for October 5 in a petition for protective bail moved on behalf of Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto.
The petition said Ms Bhutto apprehended her arrest on her arrival in Karachi on October 18 in three accountability cases in which she had been sentenced for her failure to defend herself. The sentences were awarded by an accountability court of Rawalpindi in absentia under a provision of the NAB Ordinance.
The petition came up before a division bench of Sindh High Court comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab and it directed that notices be issued to Deputy Attorney-General Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqui and NAB Deputy Prosecutor-General Shafaat Nabi Khan Sherwani for October 5. Advocate Adnan Karim appeared for the PPP leader.
Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court deferred on Tuesday hearing of a petition moved by PPP presidential candidate Faryal Talpur against acceptance of President Pervez Musharraf’s nomination papers by the Chief Election Commissioner.
The petition came up before a division bench consisting of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Ali Sain Dino Metlo. The bench told Advocate Adnan Karim, who was appearing in the absence of Advocate Farooq H. Naek, that the latter had informed it that identical petitions had also been filed in the Supreme Court. The hearing was put off to Oct 3.
Imran’s entry
Another division bench of Sindh High Court comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab has been informed that the Sindh government has issued a notification for lifting the ban on the entry of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan into Sindh, agencies add.
The bench was hearing the petition of Imran Khan, challenging the ban on his entry, on Tuesday. Justice (Retd) Shaiq Osmani represented Imran Khan.
Appearing for the Sindh government, Assistant Advocate-General Abdul Jabbar Lakho when informed the honourable court that the government had already issued a notification lifting the ban he was asked to present a copy of the notification. However, he failed to submit the document in a reasonable time allowed to him by the court.
The bench adjourned the proceedings till October 3 and bound the AAG to submit the document as the matter is taken up again.
Pre-arrest bail
Justice Qaisar Iqbal of Sindh High Court granted bail before arrest to Karachi Bar Association President Iftikhar Javed Kazi Advocate till October 18 and directed the police to submit all FIRs against him in the court.
KBA President Iftikhar Javed Kazi Advocate has been charged for creating law and order problem in and around City Courts.
The court ordered that Mr Kazi be not arrested till 18th in any matter without prior intimation to the SHC, said Syed Naqui Mirza Advocate, who appeared for the KBA chief.
MQM-H chief gets bail
The same bench, meanwhile, granted bail to Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) Chairman Aamir Khan against a surety of Rs100,000 in a gun snatching case.
Aamir Khan was sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment by the additional sessions judge, central, Gulshan Ara Chandio, on June 29, 2007. He was charged with snatching the official gun from Police Constable Liaquat Ali on May 16, 1992. PC Liaquat was deputed at the residence of then Sindh Minister Shoaib Bukhari, belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement, as his gunman in Liaquatabad. Aamir Khan was arrested on June 29, 2003 in Clifton following the FIR lodged against him at Liaquatabad police station under Section 17-E of Arms Ordinance.
