KARACHI, March 11: The Sindh High Court issued on Monday summons to the National Logistic Cell for April 8 on two suits moved by nine children whose parents were run over by an NLC trailer here in January this year.
The sons and daughters of deceased Abdul Qayyum Lodhi and Zarina Lodhi claimed damages amounting to a total of Rs19 million under the Fatal Accidents Act of 1855. The age of the plaintiffs ranges from seven to 29 years. Summons have also been issued to the driver of the trailer. The NLC has been sued through the ministry of planning and development.
The plaintiffs submitted, through Advocate Nasir Maqsood, that NLC driver Mehboob Ahmad knocked down the motorcycle their parents were riding near Jam Sadiq bridge in the main Korangi industrial area at 3:45pm on Jan 24. Qayyum Lodhi, who was driving the motorcycle, and pillion rider Ms Zarina fell down from the vehicle and were run over by the trailer. Both died on the spot.
The plaintiffs attributed the casualties to negligence by the trailer driver as the motorcycle was in the right lane. The NLC and the driver, they said, were jointly and severally liable to pay the damages for the immediate and long-term losses suffered by them.
BANKER’S CASE: The Sindh High Court remanded on Tuesday the case of two former directors of Allied Bank Limited (ABL) to the State Bank of Pakistan governor for reconsideration.
The directors, Ashraf Qureshi and Salim Qureshi, were removed from their offices by the SBP governor for mismanagement. While the SBP barred them from managerial responsibilities only, the ABL dispensed with their services altogether. Both challenged the SBP and ABL orders before the Sindh High Court.
A division bench, comprising Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice S. Aslam Ali Jafri, allowed the petitions partially. Setting aside the SBP order, the bench observed that the SBP governor was at liberty to pass any appropriate order on the basis of two other grounds specified in the impugned order. In doing so, the governor would take into consideration the extent of responsibility of each of the petitioners and then determine whether any action was warranted.
If the petitioners felt aggrieved by any new order, they would be free to invoke the SBP Central Board of Directors’ appellate jurisdiction. The governor, who headed the board, would not participate in the appellate proceedings and the adjudicatory process, the order said.
Zardari’s appeal: A division bench of the Sindh High Court adjourned on Monday former MNA Hakim Ali Zardari’s appeal against his conviction by an accountability court.
The adjournment was requested by the appellant’s counsel, who felt indisposed. The National Accountability Bureau counsel had no objection, and the appellate bench, comprising Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Wahid Bux Brohi, adjourned the hearing to a date in office.
The NAB reference accused the former MNA, who is father-in-law of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, of concealing the assets acquired by him in France in 1990. An accountability court convicted him and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs18.5 million or jail for another two years for default on payment of fine. The judgment was announced in July 2002.