KARACHI, Dec 7: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday allowed a 19-year-old girl, whose mother was shot dead allegedly over her freewill marriage, to go with her husband.

Muhammed Fahad, son of Muhammed Razi, a resident of the DHA, and Museera Saleem, daughter of Muhammed Saleem Memon, filed a petition in the court seeking protection from the girl's family and cancellation of a kidnapping case against Muhammed Fahad.

The petitioners impleaded the SHO and the SIO of the New Town police station as well as the girl's father, Muhammed Saleem Memon, as respondents.

Issuing notices to the respondents, a division bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed also restrained the police from arresting the suspect and adjourned the hearing to Dec 15.

The couple submitted in court that they married on Dec 1 after the girl executed a freewill certificate before a justice of peace. They submitted that Saleem Memon lodged a false FIR (503/2010) on the same day against Fahad for kidnapping Museera. The couple apprehended their arrest. The court was also informed that the girl's paternal uncle, Muhammed Hanif Memon, was sending gangsters to the house of Fahad.

Museera stated in the court that she had married Fahad of her own volition and that she wanted to live with her husband.

Amna Saleem, mother of Museera, was shot dead on Monday at her Sharfabad apartment allegedly by the girl's paternal uncle over the freewill marriage. Saleem Memon and her youngest daughter were also wounded in the shooting.

Ex-CM approaches SHC against land occupation

The Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to the home secretary, officials of Dadu police and two private respondents in a petition filed by former Sindh chief minister Liaquat Ali Khan Jatoi and his family members against the occupation of their agricultural land and registration of criminal cases against them.

The petitioners, represented by Advocate Khawaja Naveed, impleaded the SHO of Nau Goth police station, Mehar, DIG Hyderabad, DPO Dadu, SHO of Mehar police station, home secretary and Kambar residents Sardar Chandio and Burhan Chandio, as respondents.

A division bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed issued notices to the respondents and put off the hearing to Dec 15.

The former chief minister submitted in the petition that he and his family members were being politically victimised by the government and implicated in several false cases.

He stated that he had earlier filed a petition (1369/2008) in this regard and the high court had granted him relief.

He recalled that an FIR (152/2009) was registered against him at the Khairpur Nathan Shah police station under Sections 324, 353, 427, 147, 148, 149 and 504 of the PPC and he was granted interim pre-arrest bail by the high court.

However, the petitioner stated, a fresh FIR (157/2009) was immediately registered against him under Sections 506/2, 147, 148, 149 and 504 of the PPC at the Mehar police station while he was under medical treatment in Karachi.

The petitioners stated that respondents Sardar Chandio and Burhan Chandio and their associates were occupying their land with the assistance of the respondent police officials.

They said that the DPO operation, Mehar, who was posted on the recommendation of the respondent Chandios, had established his office-cum-residence in the house of three brothers, Sher Chandio, Inayat Chandio and Manzoor Chandio.

The petitioners prayed to the court to direct the police to register a case against the private respondents and their tribesmen occupying their lands. They also prayed to the court to provide security to the life and property of the petitioners.

Pensioners' petition allowed

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday allowed a constitutional petition of 202 former employees of the State Bank who were denied pension benefits for opting for their voluntary golden handshake scheme in 1997.

The petitioners had more than 10 years service, but less than 25, when they availed themselves of the scheme.

Impleading the bank, its director of human resource and the Federal Services Tribunal as respondents, the petitioners prayed to the court to declare that the denial of pension to them was illegal and unconstitutional.

They also prayed to the court to direct the bank to pay pension to them with effect from Dec 16, 1997 with mark-up.

A division bench comprising Justices Shahid Anwar Bajwa and Tufail H. Ebrahim allowed the petition and directed the bank to pay pension benefits to the petitioners in accordance with the Regulation No. 4 of the State Bank of Pakistan Officers (Pension-cum-Gratuity) Regulation, 1980.

Bail granted

A single bench headed by Justice Zahid Hamid granted bail to an accused in a uxoricide case.

Waqar Ahmed was booked and arrested under Section 302 of the PPC by the Surjani police for killing his wife, Atiqa, on May 8, 2010 on the complaint of his father-in-law, Zakir Hussain.

The accused, represented by Advocate Tariq Hamza, was given bail in the sum of Rs100,000.