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KARACHI, Jan 10: Justice Rana M. Shamim of the Sindh High Court summoned the record of the case against Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) chairman Aamir Khan. Mr Khan has moved an appeal against his conviction by a sessions court for snatching a sub-machine gun from a guard. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in 2002. The court also asked the jail authorities to submit the record of remissions the appellant is entitled to.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited deposited the salaries of three of its employees dismissed with retrospective effect with the SHC nazir on Thursday.
Six operators and linesmen of the company serving in different cities of the province moved contempt applications alleging that following petitions moved by them, the court had restrained the PTCL from taking any action against them pending proceedings. The company, however, dismissed them from service with retrospective effect to circumvent the restraint order. Except for one of them, they had not been paid their salaries for a couple of months.
The applications were heard by a division bench comprising Justices Azizullah M. Memon and Khwaja Naveed Ahmed. After hearing the counsel for the petitioners and the respondents, the bench ordered that their salaries should be deposited with the court nazir for payment if their averments were found correct.
Suspension ordered
Another division bench consisting of Justices Munib Ahmed Khan and Syed Pir Ali Shah directed a police deputy inspector-general to suspend from service assistant sub-inspector Hamidullah Niazi of the Lyari police station. The ASI was asked to arrest and produce a builder, but instead of complying with the order he absented himself from the proceedings on Thursday.
According to a petition moved by Karachi Helpline, an NGO, builder Suleiman has raised a seven-storied structure on plot number LEE-3/26, Lea Market, Lyari Town. He was allowed by the Karachi Building Control Authority to build only four floors. He raised the unauthorized construction not only in violation of the approved plan and building rules but also in contravention of a stay order passed by the court.
The work on the building continued even during its attachment in complicity with the police. After completion of the construction work, the purchasers were delivered possession without applying for completion and occupancy certificates.
The court issued a non-bailable warrant for the builder’s arrest and asked ASI Hamidullah Niazi to execute it. The Lyari Town police officer was also directed to appear to answer the allegation of police complicity. The ASI failed to appear on Thursday and the court ordered his suspension by the competent police officer. Another warrant was issued for the arrest and production of the builder on Jan 23.
Bail plea dismissed
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro and Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, meanwhile, dismissed the bail plea of Raja Mohammad Zaraat Khan, chairman of the Bawan Shah Group of Companies. He has been arraigned by the National Accountability Bureau. He is accused of making phoney and fraudulent exports and causing a loss of over Rs279 million to the exchequer by claiming tax rebates and benefits under the DTRE scheme.
The grant of bail was vehemently opposed by Advocate Ainuddin Khan, NAB counsel, who argued that the prosecution has produced adequate evidence to link him with the commission of the offence.
He said the trial accountability court should be allowed to evaluate the evidence while the accused remained in judicial custody.
The bench, however, accepted bail applications of co-accused Tanveer Siddiqui, Naseem Ahmad and Qamar Hussain Naqvi, sales tax officials. They were asked to furnish security amounting to Rs500,000 each to the satisfaction of the accountability court.
Al Akhtar Trust
The bench comprising Justices Munib A. Khan and Pir Ali Shah issued notices to the advocate-general and the deputy attorney-general for Jan 22 in a petition questioning the government decision to keep the trust’s offices shut. The trust said a ban was imposed on it purportedly under a UN resolution listing it as a financier of militant organizations.
