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KARACHI, Jan 1: The Sindh High Court issued notices to a rangers officer and a deputy attorney-general for Jan 15 on a businesswoman's petition against harassment.
Petitioner Asma Abid submitted that she and her husband, Mohammad Abid, were engaged in the business of selling motor vehicles and installing CNG kits in cars at their premises in Parsi Colony, M. A. Jinnah Road.
A woman customer, Chaman Shamim, had some dispute with her husband. The dispute was purely financial but the rangers started interceding on her behalf and pressured the couple for payment of Rs 150,000 to Ms Chaman, the petitioner alleged.
On Dec 27 last, the petitioner further alleged, Lt Col Ghulam Jeelani Butt of the rangers raided her business premises at the head of a squad of the law enforcement agency. They took away keys of six cars, cheque books and national identity cards belonging to 36 customers.
A division bench, comprising Justices Ataur Rahman and Zia Perwez, ordered that notices be issued to the rangers officer concerned and a federal government law officer.
NIC CASE: The bench adjourned further hearing of a petition questioning cancellation of the old national identity cards without their replacement by the new, computerized cards to Jan 15.
Appearing for the respondent federation, standing counsel Syed Ziauddin Nasir submitted that the prayers made in the petition for extension in the cancellation date and setting up of mobile teams by the National Database and Registration Authority had already been allowed and the petition be disposed of as having borne fruit.
Petitioner-lawyer Shaukat Ali Shaikh, however, requested the court to ask the respondents to submit their comments para-wise in writing. The bench asked the counsel to submit comments on behalf of the respondents and adjourned the hearing to January 15.
CLERKS PLEA: In another petition moved by two clerks of the Karachi Port Trust, the bench issued notices to the KPT and its high-ups for Jan 14.
The petitioners submitted through Advocate Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh that they joined the KPT as clerks in 1980-81. They were promoted as data coders in grade 14 in the computer department in late 80s in accordance with the seniority-cum- fitness formula.
Data coders were redesignated as "network support assistants". The assistants were now being promoted to grade 16 as technical support officers and computer operators. The trust management was, however, inviting applications from its employees in various departments, including non-technical, to fill in the posts. The petitioners said they had a prior right to be considered for promotion.
REHEARING: Another division bench comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Rehmat Hussain Jaferi, meanwhile, commenced a fresh hearing of arguments in a writ petition moved by Ms Kausar Perveen, wife of corruption accused Ziaul Islam, who is standing trial before an accountability court.
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Khalid Anwer argued that Zia, former commissioner of the (defunct) Karachi division and joint secretary of the federal interior ministry, was arrested after his exoneration by an inquiry conducted into the allegations against him under the Removal from Service (Special Powers) Ordinance, 2000. National Accountability Bureau counsel Amanullah Khan would advance his arguments on Friday.
