KARACHI, Dec 28: The Sindh High Court adjourned on Wednesday the hearing of former federal minister Asif Ali Zardari’s plea against a sessions court’s refusal to allow him exemption from personal appearance in Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s murder case.

The criminal revision petition against the sessions order was fixed before Justice Zia Pervez after Justice Hisbani declined to hear it on Tuesday. The hearing had to be adjourned due to the non-availability of special prosecutor M Ilyas Khan, who was to conduct a case in Quetta.

Advocate Azizullah K. Shaikh said in the petition that Mr Zardari had to extend his stay in the US for medical treatment. He deserved to be granted continued exemption from personal appearance but the trial court dismissed the plea and issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest.

The petitioner is facing trial, along with others, for the killing of PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) chairman and seven activists of his party in an alleged police encounter near his Clifton residence in September 1966.

Status quo: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday, ordering status quo in a weekly magazine’s cancellation of declaration matter, issued pre-admission notice to the DCO, the Sindh home department and others for Jan 17, adds PPI.

Suleman, the publisher of Zarbe Momin submitted that the Sindh home department had banned publication of the magazine on Aug 5 without adopting any due process of law.

Petitioner’s counsel contended that once declaration is issued, it could not be suspended or cancelled with due process of law in terms of Section 19 of Press, Newspaper and Book registration Ordinance 2002.