Lahore High Court on Thursday rejected objections of PPP Senator Babar Awan against three amicus curiaes (friends of court) appointed by LHC to assist the court in hearing of a petition seeking his disqualification. The LHC was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Shahid Javed challenging eligibility of Awan, recently elected as a senator. Through an application Babar Awan had contended that Advocate AK Dogar, Advocate Salman Akram Raja, Advocate Salman Akram and former Advocate General Punjab Khawaja Harris, who had been appointed as amicus curiaes in the matter against him were not impartial and justice will suffer if court heard their arguments in the case.
Rejecting the objections of Awan, Justice Umer Ata Bandial observed that the court had appointed impartial advocates and the court had lawful authority to appoint any person for its assistance in any case. Justice Bandial also said courts decided cases not on the desire of parties but on merit, law, norms of justice, rules and legal ethics. When the judge set aside objections from counsel for Awan, the court heard arguments of Harris who said the petitioner who brought case against Awan was not an aggrieved party as he was neither his rival nor his supporter in the senate election hence, the petition was not maintainable.
PETROL PRICE PETITION: A petition was filed on behalf of Mohammad & Ahmad, a public interest litigation company, on Thursday before Lahore High Court challenging the recent increase in petroleum prices. The petitioner stated that the government enhances price of petroleum products after short intervals, which causes price hike of other items that is unjust to the people.
He stated that a petition was pending in which he had prayed that the government should be directed to give details about the method of determination for revising the petroleum products vis-à-vis cost of production and cost of supply including charging of different levies, duties and taxes and further disbursement of above collections to the different heads. He further prayed that the petitioner may be directed to supply with the audited accounts of all the respondents connected with the production and supply of the petroleum products specifying the details of category wise with complete profit and loss accounts through certified audited accounts.
SHIFTING WALTON FLYING CLUB: The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought reply from the Punjab government and others by March 15 on a petition seeking directions to shift Walton Flying Club from residential area to a far-off location. Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik passed the order on a petition filed by petitioner-counsel Ishtiaq Ahmad impleading the director general Civil Aviation Authority, Walton Flying Club Director Training and Punjab Home Secretary.
PROBING DRUG DEATHS: The Defective Drugs Inquiry (DDI) Tribunal, set up to probe deaths caused by Punjab Institute of cardiology’s spurious medicines, on Thursday recorded the statements of Drugs Testing Laboratory Ex-Director Abdus Salam Mufti and Ex-Chief Drugs Inspector Mouazam Ali Khan. They also produced documents in support of their statements whereas the Tribunal questioned them about various aspects of the matter being probed. Data Ganj Bakhsh Town Drug Inspector Saeed Iqbal, also appeared before the Tribunal and got his statement recorded.
‘Babar Awan, you’ve got to be kidding me!’
