KARACHI, March 7: Justice Zahid Kurban Alavi of the Sindh High Court gave on Friday the parties to the dispute over the Institute of Behavioral Sciences three days to reach a mutual settlement, failing which their suits and applications would be heard and decided on merit.

The judge withheld his order on a contempt application moved by Dr S. Haroon Ahmed against Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and others for advertising IBS vacancies despite a status quo order passed by the court on December 20, 2002. The alleged contemners would have to appear personally if notices were issued on the contempt plea.

Dr Khan’s counsel Barrister Farogh Nasim informed the judge that an intra- court appeal against his interim order of Feb 18 calling upon the rival parties to run the institute jointly with the assistance of a committee was fixed for hearing before a division bench later on Friday. It would be in the fitness of things if the parties did not press their applications pending the outcome of the appeal.

Justice Alavi observed that there was no stay order by the appellate bench and asked the parties to come up with a mutually-agreed settlement by March 12 when the case would come up for hearing again.

The appellate bench, which consists of Justice Mohammed Roshan Essani and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, later adjourned its proceedings to March 19 with the consent of Dr Khan’s senior counsel, Barrister Mohammed Ali Sayeed, and Dr Ahmed’s counsel Barrister Kazim Hassan. The bench was informed that the trial judge had given three days to the parties to work out a compromise.