KARACHI, Aug 28: The Sindh High Court transferred all four cases pending against Sher Mohammad Rind, brother of Federal Minister for Frontier Regions Yar Mohammad Rind in Nawabshah courts to Karachi.
The accused is facing charges under the provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Ordinance but he says that he has been involved in criminal cases by his brother following a dispute over ancestral property. He is also facing criminal cases in Balochistan and some of them have been transferred from Sibi to Hub by the Balochistan High Court on his application.
Advocate Masooda Siraj argued that the federal minister exercised immense influence in Nawabshah and it would be extremely difficult for the accused applicant to pursue his cases and get a fair trial there. Besides, since he was already facing trial at Hub, it would be much more convenient to him to defend himself in Karachi courts. Assistant Advocate-General Arshad Lodhi suggested that the cases be transferred to a neighbouring district. Notice was issued to the only private complainant in one of the cases but his whereabouts could not be ascertained.
Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed said in his order: “The contents of the FIRs indicate that there are not likely to be many private witnesses for the prosecution who might suffer inconvenience on account of transfer. On the other hand, it would be far more convenient for the applicant to be able to attend hearings both at Karachi and Hub if the cases were transferred to Karachi. The weapons the prosecution is likely to produce as case property can also be securely protected at Karachi.
“I would, therefore, order that all the four cases be transferred to the court of sessions judge, District Central, Karachi, who may either try them himself or assign them to an appropriate judicial officer within the district.”
‘Webb ground’
M/s Makro-Habib, one of the respondents in the petition challenging construction of commercial building on the Lines Area playing field known as ‘Webb ground’, filed a counter-affidavit to assert that they were in rightful possession of the ground as sub-lessees.
They said the federal government had leased out the ground to the Army Welfare Trust, which transferred it to them for setting up a cash-and-carry store.
A division bench consisting of Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Ali Sain Dino Metlo, which has granted an interim stay against the conversion of the five-acre amenity plot, could not take up the petition for paucity of time and the hearing was adjourned to Sept 3. The stay order was extended till that date.
Power load-shedding
The petitions moved by former city nazim Niamatullah Khan and Iqbal Kazmi against the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation for its failure to ensure normal power supply were also adjourned for paucity of time to a date in office. The petitions were listed for hearing by the division bench comprising CJ Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab.
The bench took a serious view of the provincial education secretary Sabhago Khan Jatoi’s’s failure to appear in a petition challenging the continued government ownership of a college in Federal B Area known as Aziz National Academy.
The petitioner said almost all nationalised institutions had long been denationalised but the education department was not willing to privatise the academy.