KARACHI, March 29: Information in respect of an inquiry said to have been held by the prime minister’s inspection team into allegations against (former) provincial revenue minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh is likely to be received by April 1, a federal attorney informed a Sindh High Court division bench on Wednesday.
The bench, which consists of Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Gulzar Ahmed, was hearing a writ petition moved by the ex-minister and his brother, Maqbool Ahmed Shaikh, alleging that they were being implicated in false and fabricated cases by the provincial government and its agencies at the behest of the chief minister.
The petitioners, who are central and provincial leaders of the ruling PML (N), claimed that the prime minister had ordered an inquiry into the chief minister’s allegations against them by his inspection team. After a thorough probe, the inspection team found them innocent and exonerated them.
The bench asked the federal government standing counsel Syed Ziauddin Nasir to contact the PM’s secretariat to find out the outcome of the inquiry said to have been held by the PM’s inspection team. After making repeated inquiries, Mr Nasir told the bench on Wednesday that the relevant information from the PM’s secretariat was expected by April 1. He cited an unnamed officer of the secretariat as his source.
Advocate Raja Qureshi, the petitioners’ counsel, said he would like to proceed with the hearing of the petition. He said it was public knowledge that the chief minister was hostile to the petitioners, particularly Mr Imtiaz Shaikh.
He produced a copy of an article carried by the monthly ‘Herald’ under the title ‘Indecent Exposure’. He said the petitioners were being involved in one case after another and requested the court to stay all pending investigations and proceedings pending the disposal of the petition seeking their transfer.
Advocate Raza Hashmi, appearing for the provincial government, submitted that the ex-minister had been granted interim bail in all cases but he was not joining in the proceedings. His quashment petitions have, however, been dismissed and trial courts have made references to the high court about the delay caused by the ex-minister’s failure to appear before them. He cited the Supreme Court judgment in Brig (Retd) Imtiaz’s case to oppose grant of stay.
The bench inquired about the provincial government comments or counter-affidavit in the petition from the government counsel. Mr Hashmi said he was awaiting information from the PM’s secretariat. He undertook to file comments and furnish a copy to the petitioners’ counsel by March 30. The bench adjourned the hearing to March 31.
DEFAMATION SUIT: Justice Mushir Alam, meanwhile, allowed Karachi Building Control Authority counsel Shahid Jamil Khan to withdraw his defamation suit against the provincial ombudsman and his adviser, Syed Iqbal Hasan Rizvi, following a statement by the adviser and Additional Advocate-General M. Ahmed Pirzada that ‘presently no action is in contemplation against the plaintiff’.
The AAG and the adviser also stated that if any material or complaint against the plaintiff lawyer came on record, proper proceedings would be initiated after issuance of a show-cause notice. The plaintiff did not press the suit against the two defendants after the statement and the court allowed it to be withdrawn in respect of them.
As regards the suit against other defendants, the court noted in its order, defendant No 1 (Mohammad Yusuf Kureshy) stated that the allegations made against him in the plaint were incorrect and, in fact, defamatory and he reserved his right to take appropriate legal action.
Advising the parties to exercise restraint, the court ordered that the notice to defendant No 2 (Europe Printing Press) be repeated through all modes, including pasting.
COMPENSATION: Justice Mrs Qiaser Iqbal allowed a compromise between the Pakistan Steel management and the dependants of the nine PSM employees who lost their lives in an industrial mishap. Under the compromise, Rs 9 million have been deposited by the management with the SHC nazir for payment of Rs 1 million each to the nine families as compensation. The suits were filed by Advocate Nasir Maqsood.