SHC asked not to let Askari Amusement Park be reopened

Bilawal Bhutto's plea for security adjourned for indefinite period

KARACHI: A petition was filed on Tuesday with the Sindh High Court (SHC) to not allow the re-opening of the Askari Amusement Park before investigations of the ride crash incident are complete.

The petitioners, Ahmed Zaman and Shah Zaman Khan, contended that naming a commercial park 'Askari' was illegal. They also claimed that the park was being run without the approval of the authorities concerned.

The petitioners argued that the park administration imported precarious rides from China without required approvals and operated such rides without following any standard operating procedure.

It was also contended in the petition that commercialisation of parks in the city was depriving the people of recreation. The petitioners asked the SHC to order annulment of entry charges for public parks.

Askari Amusement Park be not reopened again until inspection of its rides and the inquiry into the ride collapse incident are complete, the petitioners asked. They nominated the Sindh government, Karachi commissioner, Karachi mayor, Rangers director-general and others as respondents.

The incident of ride crash at the Askari Amusement Park occurred on July 15. A revolving ride at the park collapsed while it was being operated, resulting in the death of a minor girl, Kashaf, and injuries to at least 25 others.



 

Bilawal's security

The SHC also adjourned the hearing on Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's plea for security for indefinite period due to the absence of his lawyer, Akhtar Hussain.

A two-judge bench heard the matter. The bench had earlier sought a copy of the Supreme Court verdict regarding security for VVIPs.

In his plea, Bilawal had maintained that his life was under threat, due to which he required official security. He argued that his mother Benazir Bhutto had been killed by terrorists and he was also facing threats by extremist organisations.

The PPP chairperson informed the SHC in his petition that being the head of a political party, he had to frequently travel countrywide for which he needed security due to threats from terrorists.

 

Forgery case

Meanwhile, the SHC gave time till August 14 to a bank officer to provide bank record regarding a case involving forgery and issuance of fake cheque book. The court warned the manager that he would be handed over to the investigation officer (IO) in case he did not comply with the order.



A two-member bench was hearing the bail plea of a bank manager, Fahim Khan. The lawyer of a complainant, Nadeem Mustafa, maintained that the manager opened a bank account in the name of his client. The lawyer explained that his client deposited more than Rs20 million in the account before it occurred to him that the account was fake.

According to Mustafa's lawyer, when his client tried to draw the deposited amount with a cheque, the cheque bounced.

The SHC was irked by the non-provision of bank record that it had ordered earlier. How about we include you in investigations, the bench told the bank officer concerned. Giving a final deadline of August 15 to him, the court warned him that he would be handed over to the IO in case he did not comply.