Punjab

Rangers chief gets time to file reply

Petitioner says despite court orders, respondent stopped him from harvesting.

Express July 27, 2011

LAHORE:

A Lahore High Court division bench on Wednesday adjourned till August 1 the hearing of a contempt of court petition against Chenab Rangers Wing Commander Col Nadeem Ahmad Karim for allegedly stopping the petitioner from harvesting his wheat crop.

On Wednesday, Advocate Farooq Qureshi appeared on behalf of the wing commander and sought time to file a reply.

Petitioner’s counsel requested the court to issue an immediate direction to the respondent so that the petitioner could harvest the crop.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed directed a standing counsel of the federal government to file a reply in this regard at the next hearing.

Petitioner Muhammad Asif of Shakargarh tehsil of Narowal district said that the respondent officer had defied an earlier court order and was refusing to allow him to harvest wheat crop on his land. He said that on May 2, an LHC division bench had directed the Border Area Committee to allow the petitioner to harvest wheat crop on the land, but the respondent officer had summoned the petitioner to his office and forced him to surrender the possession of the land.

The petitioner’s counsel told the court that his client had approached the border area committee with an application seeking grant of status quo regarding the possession of the land and for the preservation of crops sown by the petitioner. But, he said, the committee had not taken any action in this regard.

The counsel also said that in another petition filed in 2008 the LHC had directed the authorities not to disturb the petitioner’s possession over the said land.

He said that under the earlier court order issued to the respondent, he had no authority to interfere with the harvesting and lifting the produce from the land, but he had violated court orders in this regard. The petitioner requested the court to initiate a contempt of court proceeding against the respondent.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2011.