KARACHI, May 23: The petitions moved by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan chairperson Asma Jehangir and Advocate Aitzaz Ahsan against their expulsion from Sindh on May 12 were disposed of as infructuous on Wednesday when a law officer submitted that the impugned orders had since been withdrawn.

The petitions, filed through Advocates Iqbal Haider and Malik Mohammad Ejaz, had challenged the expulsion orders as being repugnant not only to the fundamental rights but also to the provisions of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, under which the respondent government claimed to have issued the impugned order.

As the petitions came up before a division bench, a law officer informed the court that the expulsion orders had been recalled by the home department.

The HRCP chairperson and Advocate Aitzaz Ahsan, counsel for Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, had accompanied the CJ to Karachi on May 12. They were held up at the airport with the CJ and later served expulsion orders.

MILK PRICE: A division bench comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Ali Sain Dino Metlo adjourned hearing of milk sellers’ petition after bringing on record objections filed by Advocate Naimur Rehman to the city district government’s rejoinder.

The counsel said the CDGK had no role in price control. Under an enactment of 2006 only the provincial government was empowered to regulate foodstuff prices.

The provincial government could delegate its power to CDGK but no notification had been issued to delegate price control.