Owners of Ahad Tower declared proclaimed offenders

A trial court of judicial magistrate Class-1, on Tuesday, declared former MPA, Ahad Ahmed Malik, his wife Riffat Ahad Malik and son Muhammad Yousaf Ahad Malik, owners of the illegal Ahad-Tower plaza Kalma Chowk, proclaimed offenders (POs) for not appearing before the court despite several notices and summons.
In its order the court held that “bail and bond of the accused are forfeited and proclamations of the accused under section 87 of CrPC be issued for May 16, 2012”. The court also ordered, “proceedings against the guarantors be initiated under section 514 of CrPC separately” Judicial magistrate, Junaid Ahmad Makhdoom, noted in the order that the accused had been summoned time and again through non-bail warrants but they had not appeared before the court. The judge said the statement of the prosecutor had been recorded separately wherein he had stated that the accused were concealing themselves to avoid arrest. Therefore, the judge said the bail bonds of the accused were hereby forfeited and the proceedings be initiated for declaring the accused proclaimed offenders and sureties.
As per case, about 861 people invested Rs 1.580 billion in the plaza including complainant, Iqbal Butt. However the plaza was later found to be illegal and in violation of the bylaws and it was demolished on the Supreme Court’s orders but the money was not refunded to the investors by the accused. People affected by the demolition of Ahad Tower, Muhammad Iqbal Butt and seven others, had registered FIRs in Garden Town police station under section 420, 467,471 (fraud and forgery) against the owners for fleecing with their money and by hiding the legal status of the plaza. The accused had been granted bails in July 2011 by the additional district and session judge and the petitioner had moved the LHC against the bails.
On the March 20, the Lahore High Court cancelled bails of the accused and since then the accused are in hiding while the investors of the plaza are waiting for their arrest and recovery of the investments. Iqbal Butt told media he purchased an office on the 9th floor and a shop for Rs 4.3 million. He said the owners were not returning his hard earned money.
ENQUIRY ORDERED INTO LAPTOPS: A petition has been filed in LHC seeking directions for a judicial enquiry into the laptop scheme. The petition was filed by petitioner-counsel, Shahid Abbas, against PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Finance minister and others.
He submitted that the Punjab government was misusing public money to promote the PML-N and its political manifesto. He submitted that a hefty amount was being spent on newspaper advertisements and posters of the laptop scheme containing a picture of Nawaz who did not hold any government office.
The petitioner contended that it was a violation of the constitution as no public money could be spent by any political party except for the public purpose and not otherwise.
He submitted that Transparency International Pakistan noticed corruption in the laptop scheme and a loss of Rs 1.7 billion. “Transparency also claims that the Punjab government violated Punjab procurement Rules 2009 while awarding tenders for laptops,” he added. The petitioner pleaded with the court to issue directions for a judicial inquiry into laptop scheme. He also requested the court that the respondents be prosecuted for misusing and misappropriating public money.