RAWALPINDI, July 9: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Tuesday issued notices to the director-general of Housing Directorate of GHQ’s Adjutant General Branch and the local station commander, directing them to submit within three weeks their para-wise comments in response to a contempt petition filed by a woman, who was allegedly dispossessed of a shop despite a stay of execution.

Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha directed the respondents to submit their comments in reply to the petition filed by Munawar Sultana, who had stated that she was dispossessed of her shop at Askaria Plaza on Hilal Road in the cantonment area on July 3.

The petitioner said she along with her husband and her son had been running business in the shop for the last 22 years and latest the last agreement was inked with the Housing Directorate on April 15, 2005, for three years, but the directorate sought eviction from the shop and a case was filled with Rent Controller Cantonment on January 2006.

According to the petitioner, the rent controller directed her to vacate the shop but she appealed against the decision before the LHC and obtained a stay against dispossession.

She alleged that it was on July 3 that a lieutenant colonel of the Housing Directorate along with some 25 men of the cantonment board came to her shop where her husband and son were present and started throwing the valuable goods out of the shop.

They showed them the court stay order but the officer expressed disrespect to the court orders, the petitioner alleged.

Ms Sultana said her husband called the area police, who first tried to persuade the staff of the cantonment board that their action was violation of the court orders but later expressed their inability to carry out their duty as the army was involved in the matter.

She prayed to the court that legal action should be taken against the violators of the court orders and compensation should be paid to her as her goods had been damaged.

She also sought re-possession of the shop to continue her business.

In another case Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha on Wednesday directed Jhelum police not to harass a union council nazim as his brother was allegedly involved in a murder case.

UC Nazim Khurram Kiani, in his petition, had stated that his rivals had implicated his brother in a murder case and the whereabouts of his brother were not known to him, but the police had been raiding his house and harassing the women family members.