KARACHI: Tribunal to record evidences

Published April 15, 2004

KARACHI, April 14: The tribunal inquiring into PPP MPA Abdullah Murad's murder directed its registrar to invite people having any clue to the offence to testify on oath within 15 days of the public notice.

Justice Mohammad Moosa K. Laghari of the Sindh High Court, who constitutes the tribunal, ordered that the public notice be issued to three newspapers for publication in Urdu and English and Sindhi languages.

People wishing to testify before the tribunal should be asked to submit their affidavits-in-evidence to the tribunal registrar, Senior Civil Judge Sanaullah Ghauri (South), within 15 days of the publication of the notice.

About the procedure to be adopted by the tribunal, AG Anwar Mansoor Khan stated that no procedure was prescribed by the West Pakistan Tribunal of Inquiry Ordinance, 1969, under which the inquiry was being held.

The tribunal was duly empowered to regulate its procedure. The AG was asked on the previous date to explain the tribunal's terms of reference and the law and rules governing the conduct of inquiry. A copy of the 1969 ordinance was placed before the tribunal.

Regarding the order of precedence, Additional Chief Secretary Anwar Haider submitted that Justice Laghari's name was mistakenly placed at number three in the inquiry notification.

The error has since been rectified and another notification was issued on April 12 mentioning the judge's name at serial number one as required by the rules of protocol. He apologised for the inadvertent error and requested the tribunal to condone it.