KARACHI, Jan 13: The Sindh High Court admitted an appeal challenging imposition of import duty on a vehicle sold in the open market but alleged by the customs department to have been imported duty-free by a foreign mission official.

Appellant Ghulam Qadir submitted through Advocate Abrar Hasan that he bought a land-cruiser from a fellow private citizen resident in Pakistan. He obtained verification from the excise and taxation department that all dues leviable on the vehicle had been paid by the seller, M. Jawaid.

The customs official, however, impounded the vehicle claiming that it had been imported under exemption by an official of the Canadian high commission for his or the mission's use. The department later made a demand for payment of Rs 2.4 million in duty and penalty for release of the vehicle. The demand was upheld by a customs tribunal.

Admitting the appeal, a division bench, comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Azizullah M. Memon, directed that notices be issued to the Canadian mission official alleged by the customs to have imported the seized vehicle, the seller of the vehicle, the customs department and the federation for Jan 27. The fiscal dispute did not involve diplomatic immunity, it observed.

DOCTORS' CASE: Another division bench, comprising Justices Ataur Rehman and Zia Pervez, meanwhile, continued hearing of a petition challenging the detention of Dr Akmal Waheed and Dr Arshad Waheed under the preventive detention provisions of the Anti-Terrorist Act.

Resuming his arguments, Advocate-General Anwar Mansoor Khan submitted that the detainees had not specifically denied their association with Jundullah, the banned terrorist outfit involved in an ambush on the Karachi corps commander's convoy in June 2003. The proceedings were adjourned for Friday.