THATTA, Nov 14: The district Nazim, the district coordination officer, the taluka police officer, Sujawal, and other officials tendered unconditional apologies in person before a division bench of the Sindh High Court for not appearing before the court despite repeated summons.

The division bench, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Amir Hani Muslim, accepted the apologies.

The district Nazim, Thatta, Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi, the DCO, Mehmood Ahmed Khan, the TPO, Sujawal, Aslam Behrani, the EDO, Shakil Ahmed, the DDO, Ali Ahmed Baloch, and other officials had been summoned by the division bench to appear in the case filed by a resident of Shah Yaqiq, Mohammad Acchar.

The petitioner had made them all party in a case and accused them of dismantling his shopping centre adjacent to the Dargah of Shah Yaqiq, thereby causing him irreparable losses.

The court had issued bailable warrants against these officials after they did not appear in the court despite repeated summons and had directed them to furnish sureties worth Rs5,000 on next hearing.

The additional advocate general, Suleman Habib, remarked that the officials had abused their powers.

The Court, in its remarks, observed that there appeared to be no difference between the bandits and the police. Both, it stated, were involved in looting the people.

It further observed that all of the persons involved were ineligible to retain their posts.