A petition was filed in the Supreme Court (SC) Lahore Registry on Saturday seeking formation of a judicial commission to probe into a memorandum allegedly written by President Asif Ali Zardari to former US military chief Mike Mullen to help him handle the army.
Barrister Zafarullah and Hashim Shaukat Khan filed the petition. They submitted that Mullen and US-Pakistani businessman Mansoor Ijaz, who allegedly delivered the president’s written message through Pakistani Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani, should be restrained to enter into Pakistan after declaring them as most undesirable, hated and anti-Pakistan people. The petitioners said that Mullen and Ijaz had maligned the image of the armed forces, federal government and President Zardari with mala fide to damage the solidarity of the country.
The petitioners made the federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Interior and Haqqani as respondents. The petitioners said that the conspiracy originated by Americans, Mullan and Ijaz, admittedly was against the interest of Pakistan. They submitted that Ijaz was a deceitful man, who was acting as an agent of the US government. The petitioners said that the memo was an attempt to create tensions among different institutions of Pakistan. The memo had tried to defame Pakistan’s institutions, they said. The petitioners requested the court to investigate into the whole issue.
Remand of Raja Riaz extended: An accountability court on Saturday extended the physical remand of Raja Centre Main Market, Gulberg owner Raja Riaz till December 2.
The accused, who had been an absconder since 2002, was arrested from his residence in Defence over the charges of embezzlement of millions of rupees in a co-operative institute. The court no 6, while extending the remand, directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) authorities to complete the investigation by the next date of hearing.
Doctors to recommend accused person’s admission in hospital
An accountability court on Saturday held that it is for the doctors to recommend admission of an accused person in the hospital and not for the court to do the same.
The court held this in its order based on a report submitted by the District Jail medical. The report was endorsed by Dr. Abdur Rehman of Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
According to details, a reference is pending in an accountability court against Sheikh Muhammad Afzal over the charges of embezzlement of billion of rupees in the Bank of Punjab. During the hearing, the accused had filed an application seeking the court’s direction for medical treatment in Sheikh Zayed Hospital. The court had allowed the same and directed the jail authorities to submit a report in this regard.
On Saturday, the District Jail medical officer submitted his report. According to the report, during the medical examination, the accused requested for his tests to be conducted in the Doctors Hospital and admission in Sheikh Zayed Hospital until the medical tests have been conducted and he has recovered. The court after recording the arguments on report, held in its order that it is for the doctors to recommend or advise admission of the accused in a hospital and not for the court to do the same.
The court also noted that the Sheikh Zayed Hospital has the facilities for the required tests, therefore the accused should be sent to the Sheikh Zayed Hospital immediately as per the previous orders and the accused may be admitted as per the advice of the doctors.
