FM submits report on Bagram prisoners

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday adjourned hearing till January 16 of a petition against extradition of seven Pakistanis detained in an Afghan jail. Earlier, the standing counsel on behalf of the foreign ministry submitted a report along with proof of communication with the concerned foreign authorities in the matter.
The court handed over a copy of the report to the petitioner’s counsel and sought reply by January 16. Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan heard the petition filed by Sultana Noon, wherein she pleaded the case of seven Pakistani citizens, detained at “Bagram Theatre Internment Camp” in Afghanistan.
PETITION AGAINST PRESIDENT RETURNED: The LHC’s registrar office marked as ‘objection’ and returned to the petitioner-lawyer a petition praying to restrain President Asif Ali Zardari from holding his office, allegedly for violation of the constitution and his oath after his anti-constitution statement.
Objecting to the petition’s maintainability, the LHC office noted that the petition may be filed before a special bench. When the petitioner approached the registrar office in person he was told that since the matter was linked to Pakistan’s president, the petition could be filed in the Islamabad High Court.
The petition was filed by a citizen, Hafiz Muhammad Asim, through his counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique for interpretation of Article 47 of the Constitution after a recent statement of the President wherein he said “If Article 47 is invoked, (he) would not accept the constitution.”
ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED FOR 3 ACCUSED IN LANKA TEAM ATTACK: A LHC division bench on Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants for three accused, involved in the Sri Lankan Cricket Team attack, for not appearing in court on petitions seeking cancellation of bails earlier granted to them by a trial court.
The bench passed the order on appeal petitions filed by the Punjab government seeking bail cancellations of Obaidullah, Qari Muhammad Ishfaq, Amanullah and Obaid-ur-Rehman.
As proceedings started, only Obaid-ur-Rehman appeared in court, while the other three accused were absent.
The bench took a strict notice of their absence and issued bailable arrest warrants before adjourning the matter.
JUDICIAL REMAND OF FORMER HAJJ DIRECTOR EXTENDED: An accountability court on Tuesday extended the judicial remand till January 3 of former Hajj director Rao Shakeel Ahmad involved in hoarding of illegal assets. The accused was arrested on charges of maintaining various bank accounts through which he made heavy transactions.
Court, while extending the remand, directed NAB authorities to file the reference against the accused by the next hearing.
RAJA RIAZ’S PHYSICAL REMAND EXTENDED: An accountability court on Tuesday extended till December 23 the physical remand of Raja Riaz, owner of Raja Centre Main Market Gulberg.
The accused, is an absconder since 2002, had been arrested from his residence in Defence over charges of embezzlement of millions of rupees in a cooperative institute.
Court, while extending remand, directed NAB authorities to complete the investigation by the next hearing.
JUDICIAL REMAND OF AG OFFICE SCAMMER EXTENDED: An accountability court on Tuesday extended till January 3 the judicial remand of Muhammad Adnan, nominated in a case of fraudulent withdrawal of money under various adjustments headed by officials of Punjab Accountant General (AG) Office district police and patrolling police.
The accused was a private person but was shown as an official of the police department and he withdrew hundreds of thousand rupees fraudulently from the AG Office to his account over the past one year. Court, while extending remand, directed NAB authorities to file the reference against the accused by the next hearing.
DAG’S ASSISTANCE SOUGH IN BABAR AWAN CASE: LHC adjourned till January 16 the hearing of a contempt petition against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Babar Awan for wilfully passing derogatory remarks against the judiciary at his press conferences. Justice Khalid Mehmood had sought Awan’s reply in the last hearing. The District Attorney General’s (DAG) assistance was sought when no reply was filed.