The Lahore Court High on Monday directed the federal law secretary obtain the federal government and Punjab governor’s replies from the Attorney General and to submit them in court. The court was hearing a petition for the removal of the Punjab Governor Latif Khosa. A petition was filed with Justice Kahlid Mehmod by Afaq Ahmed, a local lawyer, who alleged that Khosa had violated his oath by secretly spending national exchequer funds in south Punjab to gain popularity by favouring the establishment of the Seriaki province. Earlier, the court had directed the attorney general to submit the respondent’s replies. Since the court had not received the replies, it had asked the law secretary to obtain them. The proceedings will resume on February 6.
CONTEMPT OF COURT NOTICE ISSUED TO BABAR AWAN: The LHCourt issued a notice on Monday to former law minister Babar Awan through a newspaper advertisement after a contempt of court petition was filed against him. Justice Khalid Mehmood passed the order after the notice-server constable informed the court that the Lahore and Islamabad offices of Babar Awan were closed because of which the notice could not be served to him.
DEFENCE SECRETARY DISMISSAL PLEA ADJOURNED: The Court Chief Lahore High Court on Monday adjourned till January 18, a petition challenging the dismissal of Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi from the Defence Secretary office. Justice Azmat Saeed observed that there were some unanswered questions regarding the maintainability of the petition as it had not been filed by the defence secretary who had originally been affected by the dismissal. The petitioner stated that as Pakistani, he could challenge the decisions that affected the nation.
7 PAKISTANIS HELD AT BAGRAM AIRBASE: The LHC on Monday adjourned till January 20 the hearing of a petition seeking the release of seven Pakistanis detained at the Bagram prison in Afghanistan after being kidnapped from Pakistan. Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan was hearing the petition filed by Sultana Noon. The seven abductees include Awal Khan, Hamidullah Khan, Abdul Haleem Saifullah, Fazal Karim, Amal Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad and Younas Rehmatullah. Attorney General Karamat Ali Awan submitted a report and documents on behalf of the the Deputy Inspector General Police about the detainees. The court handed over the copy of the report to the petitioner’s counsel and asked her to file a rejoinder on it, if she desired. Petitioner counsel Sarah Bilal presented a witness, Kamil Shah, a Pakistani, who had been detained in Bagram for five years. Shah said in his statement the Afghan prison detainees of were tortured. The petitioner alleged that the detainees were abducted from the prison and handed over to foreign countries.
HOME SECRETARY DIRECTED TO REVIEW COURT SECURITY: The LHC CJ directed the Punjab Home Secretary to review the standard operating procedures for the security of courts across the province and to submit a report till January 20 before the court. Justice Azmat Saeed was hearing a suo motu notice case against the killing of people on the premises of the Rawalpindi and Multan district courts. The Home Secretary Home said security arrangements for the courts were satisfactory and no untoward incident had occurred on court premises since those incidents.
‘ASSETS OF ‘IDARA-E-KISSAN’ NOT BEING
ALIENATED’: Justice Muhammad Khalid Mehmood Khan of the LHC on Monday disposed of a plea challenging the alienation of the HALLA Dairy plant owned by ‘Idara-e-Kissan’. The court disposed of the matter after receiving a report, by the Punjab chief secretary and Livestock Secretary that stated that they were not alienating the assets of the plant. The court observed that since the needful had been done, the plea could be disposed off.
REPLY SOUGHT IN MEDICAL DISPENSERS’ CASE: LHC Justice Farrukh Arfan sought a reply on Monday from the Punjab chief secretary and health secretary till January 24 on a petition seeking permission to qualify the public hospital dispensers to run private clinical practices in the absence of doctors. The petition was filed by the Punjab Association of Dispensers through its secretary Ghaus Muhammad and Iftikhar Hussain pleading the court to grant dispensers’ license to run clinics to provide medical facilities to people. The petitioner stated the health DG and secretary health, PMDA, PMA and the Punjab government as respondants. Dr Sulman Kazmi, a PMA representative, challenged the petition stating that if the dispensers were given the license it will be a discriminatory step against qualified doctors who spend 5 years studying medicine and surgery. The court will resume proceedings on January 24.
‘Get govt’s reply’
