IHC admits petition about drugs on campuses for early hearing

Lawyers resume bi-weekly strikes in capital’s district courts

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD: The high court admitted on Friday a petition for the early hearing of a case relating to drugs being sold on campuses after the petitioner claimed that a cafeteria ‘mafia’ was responsible for spreading drugs in educational institutions.

Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Amir Farooq directed to affix the case for hearing in the last week of February.

The petition, filed through Advocate Saimul Haq Satti, stated that drugs were being openly sold in government-run educational institutions in the federal capital.

It called for conducting blood tests of students to determine whether they were taking drugs or not.

Moreover, the petition contended that cafeteria contractors were allegedly involved in the spread of drugs in educational institutions and urged for them to be registered apart from monitoring them closely.

The petition listed the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) director general, interior ministry secretary, Islamabad Police inspector general, and private school association officials were listed as the respondents in the case and urged the court to direct the interior secretary and Islamabad IGP to conduct an operation in this regard.

Separation

A civil judge has referred the case of divorce filed by a woman to the relevant union council for legal processing.

The petitioner, Shahnaz Bibi told the court that she had married Muhammad Yaqoob and the two have five children. However, she claimed that her husband was not fulfilling her marital rights nor was he taking an interest in the affairs of their household. When she complains, he starts quarrelling with her.

Hence, Shanaz said that she no longer wants to live with her husband and wants a divorce.

After listening to the arguments of the petitioner’s counsel, directed to complete the legal formalities from the relevant union council.

Defamation settlement

A Rs20 million defamation suit has been dismissed after the prosecution and defence reached an out-of-court settlement.

Saleem had contended the defendants, the family of his ex-wife had spread lies about him that he was connected with the criminal underworld and that he was allegedly involved in illegal and criminal activities. The petitioner contended that this had hurt him and filed a Rs20 million suit for damages.

After the two parties settled the matter between them, the court dismissed the suit.

Two drug peddlers sentenced

An additional and sessions judge in Islamabad on Friday sentenced two suspects. Rehmat Shah, who had been arrested and booked at the Sabzi Mandi police station for carrying drugs, admitted to his crime.

He was sentenced to pay Rs15,000 in fines and spend 15 days in jail.

Moreover, the court heard the case of Amir who had been caught by the Tarnol police. After his crime was proved beyond reasonable doubt, he was sentenced to pay Rs5,000 in fines and spend 10 days in prison.

Lawyers threaten strikes again

Weeks after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had solved a stalemate between lawyers and judges of the district courts over the issue of judges rotation, the lawyers have resumed their boycott of courts twice a week.

The Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) has given a call to continue with its bi-weekly strike in the district courts.

The lawyers will be boycotting courts every Tuesday and Friday. In this regard, lawyers did not show up for hearings on Friday and several cases had to be adjourned without any proceedings much to the chagrin of litigants.

Unfit cops

A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench, comprising Justice Shujaat Ali Khan and Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir, has upheld a decision to fire unfit police officers.

Around 38 recently-recruited constables, including Atiq Zaidi, Faizan Ahmed and Muhammad Qasim and others had been fired from the force for being unfit. They had challenged their dismissals in court.

The division bench was told by the Punjab Assistant Advocate General Chaudhry Shams Tabraiz that all of these constables had failed the medical tests conducted by the Medical Board.

“Today’s police force faces modern challenges. Officials who are not medically fit cannot be employed in the force,” he contended.

The court declared the stance to be correct and dismissed the petition and upheld the Punjab government’s inter-court appeals on the dismissal of the police officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2019.