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LAHORE Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif on Friday disposed of a suo motu into the gang-rape-cum-murder of a 15-year-old girl after receiving a report from the police that the accused are in custody.
According to a news report, Iqra, a resident of Sheikhupura, was raped by Dr Iftikhar Ahmad along with others at Amin Hospital, before being administered a poisonous injection. Her mother, Mrs Hameedan, a widow, was an employee at the hospital.
The Sheikhupura district police officer on Friday submitted a report stating that two suspects, Malik Anwar and Amjad, are with the police while Dr Ahmad was also available.
The judge observed that, according to the post mortem, no mark of violence or rape has been mentioned, though a female doctor said a final opinion would be given after receipt of a report by the chemical examiner.
Justice Sharif said he hoped the investigation would be carried out impartially and honestly and with these instructions disposed of the suo motu.
KIDNAPPING Justice Sharif also disposed of another suo motu notice concerning the kidnapping of 15-year-old schoolgirl Sara Yousaf after she told the court she was forcibly married to her kidnapper.
Sara went missing from her residence in Cantonment in 2008. A previous high court ruling issued upon a writ petition by the girl's brother Ali Murtaza in February 2009 held that the girl must be produced before the court, though the delay in this happening prompted the chief justice's interest, and on May 29 she was taken to Darul Aman while her case was further investigated.
During Friday's hearing, she said 'I was kidnapped by Saleem Ali, son of Wazir Ali, from my home. I remained with him from Nov 17, 2008. My signatures were forcibly taken by Saleem who committed sexual intercourse with me. I want to go with my parents.'
The judge directed South Cantonment SHO M Akram to conduct the investigation in an impartial and just manner.
Dr Tahir case Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, of the Lahore High Court, has fixed for Sept 3 a hearing into a constitutional petition seeking disqualification of Dr Tahir Ali Javed, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) forward bloc in the Punjab Assembly. The petition was moved by Zaheer Ahmad Naz and three other voters from PP-133, Narowal, which Dr Javed won in the general election.
On Friday, advocate Mustafa Ramday appeared on behalf of Dr Javed and sought time from the court to prepare his arguments.
Petitioner's counsel Bilal Minto argued that Dr Javed is not fit to hold office on the basis of corruption, lies, fraud and illegal medical practice while he was practicing in the United States. According to the petition, 'it is unfortunate that (Dr Javed) who has been considered to be dangerous to human life, health and welfare of the people at large, has been a health minister of the Province and now sits as a member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab'.
According to the writ petition, Dr Javed, who practiced medicine in the United States between 1998-2002 and was repeatedly struck off medical registrars in three different states (Nebraska, New York and South Carolina) in Sept 2003, March 2004 and Feb 2006.
A medical board in Nebraska held him for 'negligence on more than one occasion', 'gross negligence', 'moral unfitness', 'abandoning or neglecting a patient under and in need of immediate professional care, without making reasonable arrangements for the continuation of such care' and 'failure to maintain a record for each patient'. According to a report in the National Council of Pakistani Americans, he was linked to the largest known Hepatitis C outbreak in America's history by using poor-infection control practices. According to the Nebraska Judicial Branch, 109 cases were filed against him in that state alone.
