Reopen May 12 cases, SHC tells home dept

Orders payment of compensation to heirs of riot victims

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Sindh Home Department to reopen all the cases pertaining to May 12 tragedy.

The May 12, 2007, more than 40 people were killed and several hundred injured in gunfights across the provincial capital as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) activists, who supported the then suspended chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the pro-government Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The court had also ordered to pay compensation to the families of those killed in the tragedy. The Sindh High Court has adjourned the hearing of a petition regarding non-formation of Judicial Tribunal on May 12 tragedy and nonopening of closed cases for an indefinite period.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice KK Agha heard the petition.

The police report along with petitioner Iqbal Kazmi’s death certificate was presented in court. According to the police report, the wife of the petitioner was contacted who confirmed his death and sent the death certificate through WhatsApp.

The court adjourned the hearing of the petition for an indefinite period. The court had directed the Sindh home department to reopen all the cases pertaining to May 12 tragedy while seeking progress reports on A-class cases.

The court had also ordered to pay compensation to the families of those killed in the tragedy.

Acquittal of PSM chairman

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has adjourned an appeal against the acquittal of Moin Aftab Sheikh in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) mega corruption case for an indefinite period.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, heard the appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman against the acquittal of former PSM chairman.

According to the NAB, the trial court ignored the facts, hence, Sheikh’s acquittal should be declared null and void.

Sindh Tourism Department

The Sindh High Court has directed the counsel of the main accused to ensure his presence at the next hearing of the bail plea of former managing director of Sindh Tourism, Roshan Qanasro, in a corruption reference in the department of culture and tourism.

A twojudge bench, headed by Justice KK Agha, heard the bail plea of accused Roshan Qanasro, however, his lawyer could not appear in the court.

The court adjourned the hearing until October 25 due to the absence of the accused’s lawyer. The court directed the counsel of the accused to ensure his attendance at the next hearing.

The counsel of the arrested accused was to give arguments on the bail application.

According to NAB, the reference includes a total of 19 witnesses and statements of 10 witnesses have been recorded in the reference so far.

The defence lawyers have completed cross-examination of four witnesses. The SHC has sought record from the NAB court.

The main accused, Roshan Qanasro, was arrested after his bail application was rejected by the Supreme Court. He was entrusted with the task of promoting culture in Sindh but did not work in any area.

The accused allegedly caused a loss of more than Rs48.5 million to the national exchequer.

Bail granted to PPP leader

The Sindh High Court has granted bail to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Ijaz Jakhrani until November 13 in a NAB probe into alleged misuse of power.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, heard a petition filed by the PPP leader.

The court while granting bail to Jakhrani directed the prosecutor NAB to submit a reply.

It was argued in the petition that the NAB officials had sent a call-up notice regarding Education Department, Jacobabad.

The ongoing investigation by the NAB was based on malafide intentions.

Bail rejected

The SHC has rejected the bail plea of former secretary education and others on charges of illegal recruitment in the special education department.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, while announcing the verdict, rejected the bail pleas of Secretary Education Noor Mohammad Leghari and Section Officer Dr Kishore Kumar.

According to NAB, both the accused have been arrested and are in jail custody.

The reference against the accused is pending in the NAB court. The suspects are accused of carrying out 294 illegal recruitments.

Notices issued in Rs10m damages suit

The Sindh High Court has issued notices to driver Muhammad Fateh and owner of the vehicle on a lawsuit filed by a destitute woman for claiming damages in the wake of her husband’s death in a road accident.

The SHC issuing the notices to the driver as well as to the owner of the vehicle, sought their replies on November 2.

In the lawsuit filed through Usman Farooq Advocate, the widow of Abdul Ghani, who died in the accident, has sought over Rs10 million in damages.

Abdul Ghani was injured in a traffic accident on August 20, 2021 and succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

He was travelling by his motorcycle within the limits of Malir police station when the car hit him. The accident allegedly occurred due to over-speeding and negligence of the driver. The deceased was the only breadwinner for his wife and two daughters. Due to the death of her husband, the widow and children are forced to live a miserable life.