SHC seeks arguments over discharge of chemical waste into sea

Approves plea for differently-abled job quota in private firms for immediate hearing

The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought on Thursday arguments on a petition pertaining to the discharge of chemical waste into the sea through different channels.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Kausar Sultana Hussain, was hearing the plea, where the petitioner's counsel maintained that despite writing letters to various institutions, no action had been taken against the factories involved in this act.

Saying that chemical and untreated wastewater posed a threat to marine life, he moved the court to take action against such industrial units.

Justice Siddiqui remarked that tribunals were working on the matter. "You should have approached them instead of the SHC," he observed.

The court sought arguments about the admissibility of the petition.

Quota for differently-abled

Meanwhile, the SHC approved a request for the immediate hearing of a petition seeking the allocation of job quotas for differently-abled persons in private institutions.

The petitioner maintained in the plea that the law of quota for differently-abled should be enforced in private institutions as well, claimed that private firms refused to employ talented people with disabilities.

"If there was a quota for differently-abled people in private institutions as there is in government departments, they would be able to get jobs," he asserted.

He stated that there were both federal and provincial laws dealing with the matter, which should be implemented, adding that differently-abled people should be given a separate quota through the implementation of the law in private institutions.

The court accepted the plea for an immediate hearing and fixed October 22 for the session.

Plea against arrest warrant

A separate bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi, sought a progress report from the joint investigation team (JIT) over a petition against the issuance of an arrest warrant to Khawaja Rehan Mansoor by an anti-terrorism court, in a money laundering case against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder and others.

The petitioner's counsel told the court that the attorney general had not responded to the request for transferring the case from Karachi to Islamabad.

The court remarked that it would first consider the case's transfer to Islamabad and then decide about the arrest warrant.

Petition against tax collection

Another bench, comprising Justice Aqeel Abbasi and Justice Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, sought a counter-reply from the petitioner company against a reply submitted by the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR).in a case regarding tax collection of over Rs190 million from a petroleum exploration company.

The FBR had stated in its reply that the petitioner was working with the government to explore Pakistan's petrol reserves, adding that it wanted to import items without paying duty. Over Rs190 million in taxes were payable by the company, it added.

The FBR added that the petitioner had been served a notice demanding an answer following the law, but it did not submit a satisfactory answer.

Verdict upheld

Moreover, a bench comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi rejected two men's appeal against their conviction for bank fraud.

The court rejected the appeal filed by Arshad Latif and Qamar Mahmood, upholding the sentences of six years' imprisonment and a fine awarded by an accountability court.

The court also disqualified the convicts from holding government posts for 10 years.

According to the National Accountability Bureau, the convicts had committed fraud in the name of a transport scheme.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2020.