SHC orders shifting Naqeebullah murder case to different court

Petitioner’s counsel maintains current ATC not conducting fair trial

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the home department, prosecutor-general, former Malir SSP Rao Anwar and others on a plea to shift the Naqeebullah murder case to a different court. The notice were issued after an application was submitted by Naqeebullah's mother. A two-member bench of the SHC heard the case on Monday.

The petitioner's counsel, Faisal Siddiqui, maintained that the current anti-terrorism court (ATC) was not conducting the trial fairly.

He said that they did not trust the ATC court and wanted the case to be shifted to a different court.



"Anwar is not being treated as a suspect [by this ATC]," he argued. After hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to the home department, prosecutor-general, former SSP and others directing them to submit their responses by August 20.

KPT illegal appointments

In another case, the SHC directed the authorities concerned to submit detailed replies against the illegal appointments in the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) by former ports and shipping minister Babar Ghouri.

The two-member bench held the hearing of the bail application filed by former KPT general manager Rauf Akhtar Farooqi. Officials from NAB requested the court to allow time for a detailed response. The court directed the authority to submit its response by the next hearing on August 20.

According to NAB, Farooqi and others have been booked for illegal appointments of thousands of people in KPT.

The leader of Muttahida Quami Movement, Ghouri, is outside the country which is he could not be arrested, said NAB, adding an application to file a reference against the suspects. Farooqi was appointed as the general manager of KPT on the recommendation of Ghouri. The bench deferred the review of the bail application until the next hearing.

Dr Asim case

The SHC directed the National Accountability Bureau to submit a report citing reasons for rejecting the bail application of suspects involved in the Dr Asim Hussain case. A two-member SHC bench held a hearing of the Rs17 billion corruption reference on Monday. A NAB court had earlier rejected the bail application filed by the suspects.

After the rejection, the suspects filed a petition in SHC saying that the NAB court rejection was unjustified and was not based on legal grounds. "The bail was not given despite lack of evidence by NAB," it stated.

JJVL corruption case

The SHC deferred the hearing for a bail petition filed by the Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited corruption case suspects Basharat Mirza and Iqbal Z Ahmed. The hearing for the Rs17 billon corruption reference was adjourned due to the absence of the lawyers. The two-member bench also extended the suspects' bail.

Meanwhile, the SHC directed the authorities concerned to submit a report regarding the registration of cases against a former school teacher.



A two-member bench held hearing of the case where a colleague of the teacher complained that the petitioner, Muhammad Mitthal, had not presented himself before the court. The court directed police officials to submit a report regarding the progress on the cases by September 5.

The petition maintains that former education secretary Fazalullah Pechuho had filed two false cases. "Both FIRs are malicious and based on lies. The cases have been registered in Dadu and Naushero Feroz," the plea stated

"Pechuho had terminated me thrice but never presented himself before the court. He had demanded a bribe of Rs200,000 and when the demand was not met, I was terminated," the petition read, requesting the court to dismiss the cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2018.