The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices on Wednesday to Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) President Zaka Ashraf, recently notified as PCB chairman and other high-ups of the bank. The development came during the hearing of a contempt of court petition filed against the above mentioned officials. The divisional bench of the IHC comprising Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan and Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi conducted the hearing.
The petition was filed by ZTBL’s agriculture specialist Dr Muhammad Amin against ZTBL Board of Directors Chairman Sultan Ali Chaudhry, Finance Secretary Waqar Mahmood, Acting ZTBL President Raees Roohi Khan, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Shahid Kardar and ZTBL President Zaka Ashraf. The petitioner alleged that the respondents were not complying with the court orders and asked the IHC to penalise them for their attitude of contempt towards the court.
He contended that the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court, in its judgment on August 27/2010, had declared that the appointment of the ZTBL president had been made unlawfully and could not be sustained, but Zaka failed to implement the judgment. He informed the court that after the aforementioned decision Zaka filed ICA 210/10 against the order of the writ petition and the court gave him ad-interim injunction until October 5/2010. “But since then the ZTBL president has not complied with the court,” the petitioner added.
He alleged that Zaka Ashraf and Raees Roohi had been illegally occupying the office of the ZTBL president. He stated that Zaka Ashraf was on ex-Pakistan leave while Roohi was over 60 years now and was still working as the chief operating officer and acting president of the ZTBL, against the rules and regulations. The divisional bench of IHC directed the respondents to submit their replies in the court.
