LHC puts off Malik pardon case until 29th

LAHORE – A Lahore High Court’s (LHC) full bench on Friday adjourned the hearing of a petition challenging the presidential pardon to Interior Minister Senator Rehman Malik. A federal law officer sought time to file the reply on which the court adjourned the hearing until April 29.
Save Judiciary Committee Media Advisor Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi filed the petition submitting that the president misused his powers under Article 45 of the constitution to pardon Malik. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the LHC had restored the three-year sentence awarded to the interior minister by an accountability court but Malik instead of filing an appeal against it in the Supreme Court (SC), which could have provided him relief, directly approached Zardari for ensuring a presidential pardon.
He said that the president pardoned the minister by exercising his powers, which he could not until the SC upheld the LHC judgment. He accused the president of violating the set procedure for granting remissions. The petitioner’s counsel alleged that Zardari pardoned Malik on political grounds, making a mockery of the judicial system.
He requested the court to nullify the presidential pardon and restore the interior minister’s conviction.
– adjourns Davis’ case hearing: The Lahore High Court Friday adjourned hearing of a petition challenging the removal of Raymond Davis’s name from Exit Control List (ECL) without obtaining consent of LHC which had earlier ordered it.
The court was informed that the Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik, who had been appearing in court, was removed. A new law officer appeared and sought time from the court to prepare the arguments and the court adjourned hearing until April 15. Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffrey had filed the petition requesting the court to seek explanation from Federal Minister of Law Dr Babar Awan, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, AD&SJ Muhammad Yousaf Aujla and others for allowing Raymond Davis to leave the country despite LHC’s restraining orders.
The petitioner submitted that LHC had directed the government to include Davis’ name in ECL and it was assured to the court by a law officer and the ministry that the same had been implemented. The petitioner submitted that on Davis’ release, the LHC’s order was in place as the court had not suspended or withdrawn its order, in violation of which, Davis was allowed to leave the country.
– issues notice on petition challenging professor’s appointment: Lahore High Court Justice Asad Munir on Friday issued notice to University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Electrical Engineering Department Chairman Dr Naeem Ayaz on a petition challenging his appointment.
The judge directed Ayaz to file the reply within three weeks. Imran Chohan, through his counsel Amin Goraya, filed the petition submitting that the UET professor was accused of plagiarism and the matter was referred to the Higher Education Commission (HEC). He said that the university syndicate committee was probing into the charges against Ayaz but the UET VC approved his appointment as the electricity engineering department chairman.
Chohan said that Ayaz’s appointment was illegal, as his name was included in the process afterwards. The petitioner’s counsel alleged that the syndicate meeting was not even informed that the HEC had blacklisted Ayaz until conclusion of the inquiry against him on plagiarism charges.
He said that the HEC had also restrained the UET professor from taking any financial benefit from the university until the inquiry against him concluded.