KARACHI, June 9: The Sindh High Court adjourned on Thursday hearing of an Iranian couple’s petition for release from jail till Monday when a federal attorney sought time for seeking instructions on the issue of their repatriation. Petitioners Murtaza Hussain and Nayyara Murtaza and their minor daughter, Anna, were picked up when trying to cross over to Indian territory from the Pakistan border, which they had entered from Iran without legal documents.
They were convicted under Section 14(2) of the Foreigners’ Act on March 31, 2003, and sentenced to simple imprisonment for eight months with the benefit of remissions and a fine of Rs 500 each and Rs 50 for the minor or, in default, imprisonment for 15 days more.
Under the penal provision and the order based on it, they were to remain in custody till arrangements were made for their repatriation or departure from Pakistan. The convicts served out their sentences in December 2003 but remained behind bars. Murtaza was brought in handcuffs to the court, which had earlier ordered their registration by the National Aliens Registration Authority (Nara).
Arguing for the petitioners, Advocates Zia Ahmed Awan and Itrat Hussain Rizvi submitted that the continued incarceration of the petitioners for an indefinite period was repugnant not only to the UN Declaration of Human Rights but also to Pakistan’s own Constitution. The petitioners could not go back to Iran for fear of persecution.
Provincial attorney Abdul Jabbar Lakho said according to the record received by him, the petitioners had approached the UNHCR but their application was declined as Murtaza was said to be a fugitive from law. The jail authorities could not release them under the law. Their cases had been duly reviewed by a federal review board.
Federal attorney Sajjad Ali Shah requested adjournment to enable him to ascertain whether arrangements could be made for their repatriation to a country of their choice. The bench seized of the petition, which consisted of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Amir Hani Muslim, adjourned the hearing till June 13.
RAFFLE TICKET: A vacation division bench of the Sindh High Court will assemble on Saturday to hear arguments on the legality of the 70-million-rupee lottery being conducted under the rubric of ‘Punjab Development Fund (PDF)’.
The question of the lottery’s validity arose in the course of hearing of a petition moved by Sajjad Ahmed Bhatti of Larkana alleging that some raffle tickets purchased by him carried the same number. Each ticket cost Rs 25. Gullible people, he said, were being fleeced with dubious promises of cash prizes ranging up to Rs 25 million. The draw is scheduled to be held on June 11, he said, seeking a restraint order.
A lawyer representing the Bank of Punjab said the raffle aimed at collecting funds for development work and enjoyed legal cover. He, however, said the BoP had nothing to do with the lottery, which was a Punjab government enterprise. Only the bank’s president was a member of the PDF committee. Asked about the BoP stake in the lottery, he said the bank earned commission on the sale of tickets.