The Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought reply from former Federal Law Minister Babar Awan and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on February 28 on a petition seeking to disqualify him declaring his election as senator illegal, unlawful and in violation of the constitution.
The LHC admitted for regular hearing the petition filed by Advocate Shahid Javed challenging the eligibility of Awan. The PPP stalwart Awan had recently been elected as a senator. In addition the court appointed two senior lawyers Salman Akram Raja and Barrister Ali Zafar as amicus curiae to assist the court on the eligibility question. The petitioner contented that Awan was not eligible for the office of senator because he had concealed his assets from the Election Commission. He said ECP had unlawfully accepted Awan’s nomination papers for a senate seat from Punjab ignoring that Awan had been an agriculture tax defaulter, had accumulated illegal assets, had a bogus PhD degree and had mocked judiciary in a contempt of court case at SC.
The petitioner referring to a chart published by Transparency International Pakistan said assets of Awan had increased by Rs282.3 million during the five years of his last tenure.
SRILANKAN GHOST STILL HAUNTS HABIB-UR-REHMAN: A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court on Tuesday challenging the appointment of Haji Habib-ur-Rehman as Inspector General of Police Punjab. The petition was filed by advocate Muhammad Fakhir submitting that Haji Habib –ur-Rehman was CCPO Lahore when attack on Sri Lankan team took place in the city. He submitted that not only the LHC Judicial Inquiry commission had declared him guilty to some extent but departmental inquiry also held him irresponsible and a negligent police officer, after the said incident. He alleged that the appointment of IGP was politically motivated move after the 20th Amendment. He prayed to the court to set aside the appointment, declaring it illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional. The petition has been fixed for hearing before Justice Najamul Hasan on February 22.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BADAMI BAGH BUS STAND: Justice Muhammad Khalid Mehmood of Lahore High Court on Tuesday stayed shifting of general bus stand (GBS) from Badami Bagh, on a petition challenging the government plan to shifting it out of the city. The court passed the order on a petition filed by Tariq Mehmood and other transporters, through Counsel Khawaja Saeed Zafar.
During the hearing, assistant advocate general Punjab, defending the government decision, said it was a policy matter and that the decision had been made to facilitate the passengers and reduce pollution in the city. He said GBS would be shifted to three locations including Shahdara, Gajju Mata and Thokar, but at present development work was in progress at Thokar only; and once it was completed it would be good for the city. He requested the court to dismiss the petition being devoid of merit. However, the petitioner’s counsel opposing the contentions submitted by law officer and pleaded the court to stay the shifting. The court after hearing the arguments of both the counsels stayed the shifting of GBS from Badami Bagh. The court observed that the GBS could not be shifted till the completion of proposed bus stands. In the petition, the petitioners submitted that GBS
Badami Bagh was situated on land measuring 282 Kanal and operational since 1962. They submitted that 3500 buses used the facility to pick and drop passengers besides it provide employment to 20,000 people. The petitioners submitted that the government had orally ordered to transfer the GBS from Badami Bagh to Thokar which would not only have caused inconvenience to passengers but would also have affected the people employed. The petitioners pleaded the court that directions be issued to cancel the shifting of GBS.
LHC PLAYS RAPID FIRE WITH PIC CHIEF PHARMACIST: The Defective Drugs Inquiry Tribunal on Tuesday recorded statements of Ameer Muhammad incharge/ head store keeper and Abid Niamat chief Pharmacist/Incharge Pharmacy Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on medicine supply procedure in hospital. The PIC officials had appeared before the tribunal comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan of the Lahore High Court as witnesses and recorded their statements about deaths of 120 patients caused by reaction of spurious medicines at PIC. The tribunal questioned them about various aspects of the mater being probed by it. For further proceedings, the tribunal has issued notices to Syed Ali Hassan, ex- Deputy medical Superintendent (Stores) and Jaafar Saleem, ex-medical superintendent of PIC Lahore to appear before the tribunal on February 22 (today) at 10.30am. The tribunal is conducting its proceedings on a day-to-day basis. District and Sessions Judge Irfan Saeed is working as registrar. LHC Chief Justice Sh Azmat Saeed had constituted the commission on request from government to investigate 120 deaths by sub-standard drugs.
