KARACHI, Sept 5: The High Court of Sindh disposed of on Thursday a constitutional petition of the Awami Himayat Tehrik Pakistan (AHTP) challenging the rejection of the party’s registration with direction to the Election Commission of Pakistan to reconsider the request for registration.

Earlier, a division bench, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jaferi, heard Moulvi Iqbal Haider, chief of the AHTP, who appeared in person with Mohammed Amin Memon, advocate.

Moulvi Haider contended that under new election laws the EC could not turn down or reject the request made for registration by any political party. The EC could only return the documents to the applicant party for re-submission of the same after objections raised or anomalies pointed out by the EC were removed.

The court also perused comments filed by the provincial election authority and in its order said that “comments have been filed on behalf of the respondents, wherein it is mainly contended that the required documents were not presented by the petitioner in terms of the requirements of Rule 11 of the Political Parties Rules 2002. The petitioner states that he is ready to re- submit them according to law, and we would therefore dispose of this petition by ordering that the respondents will consider the documents re-submitted according to law. The Election Commission may consider the question of condoning delay, if so permitted by law.”

The same bench also adjourned the hearings of a number of petitions filed by owners of plots around the Old Sabzimandi challenging sealing of factories and other industrial establishments in connection with a proposed park on the Mandi’s land.

RETI-BAJRI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court disposed of a petition filed by M/s Rana Enterprises, on the assurance of an AAG Sindh that the provincial government had not granted nor intended to grant NOC for excavation of reti-bajri in former district Malir, Karachi, up to June 2003.