LHC takes up drinking water case

WASA was directed to file a report on tests carried out on water samples.

LAHORE: Last week the Lahore High Court sought a report on laboratory tests carried out on samples of water taken from the city. 

Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, a resident of Sanda, had filed the petition. Qureshi later asked for permission to withdraw his petition, saying water supply to his house had been fixed. He was admonished by Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan who threatened to fine him for wasting the court’s time.

Justice Khan directed the Water and Sanitation Agency to submit a report on tests of water samples sent to the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The judge remarked that deaths caused by hepatitis were on the rise. He said WASA officials appeared to be ignoring the problem. He said safe drinking water was an issue of public interest and the court would not abandon the matter.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 13.

Indian films

The LHC dismissed as withdrawn petition seeking an order stopping exhibition of Indian films on Monday. The petitioners told the court that they had reached a compromise settlement and did not want to proceed further.

Representatives of the Cinema Owners Association and other respondents appeared before the court.

Lawyers of the association told the court that film distributors and cinema owners had reached on an agreement under which half of the country’s cinemas would exhibit only local films.

They said the film industry workers would benefit from the income generated.

They said both parties (cinema owners and film producers) would also take steps against exhibition of smuggled Indian films.

Mubashar Luqman, a private TV talk show host, who had filed the original petition told the court that he hoped the issue of smuggled Indian films stood resolved in view of the agreement between cinema owners and film producers.

On Friday, the LHC stopped the censor board from issuing NOCs to Indian films being smuggled illegally on another petition filed by various film producers and directors. The petitioners said smuggled Indian movies were being exhibited in the Pakistanis cinemas and resulting in a loss of revenue to the government.

Students of MBBS

The Lahore High Court ordered the University of Health Sciences vice chancellor to issue the examination schedule for MBBS students of Lahore Medical University.

Justice Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Khan said the students could not be restrained from sitting in the examination

Voter verification

The LHC suspended an order of an election tribunal and stopped the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) from verifying the authenticity of votes through thumb impressions in NA-118.

The court issued the interim order on the petition moved by MNA Malik Riaz challenging the election tribunal’s decision for ordering the verification.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2013.