Courts says permits violated the Punjab Wildlife Act, 2007. PHOTO: FILE
The Lahore High Court last week put an interim ban on hunting of houbara bustard and directed the government to submit a list of permit holders.
The court passed the order on petitions challenging hunting of migratory birds. The petitioners said 33 permits had been issued by the government to dignitaries from five Gulf countries to hunt the threatened houbara bustard this winter.
They said the permits violated the Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) (Amendment) Act, 2007.
The judge directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs secretary to issue notices to all 33 permit holders to arrange for representation at the next hearing on February 10.
Exit control
The Anti-Narcotics Force was asked to submit by February 1 its reply to a petition moved by Ali Musa Gilani, son of former primer Yousuf Raza Gilani, seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List.
Earlier, the Ministry of Interior had told the court that it had placed Gilani’s name on the ECL on the directions of the ANF on account of his alleged role in the ephedrine case.
Gilani claimed that his name had been placed on the ECL without there being any evidence against him.
Foreign prisoners
A Supreme Court review board ordered the Ministry of Interior to release six foreigners who had mistakenly crossed the border into the country. These prisoners have completed their sentences, the court was told.
The prisoners belong to India, Bangladesh and South Africa.
The board recorded their statements and reviewed their records and directed the ministry to release them and make arrangement for their repatriation.
Ministry officials were also directed to submit details of remaining prisoners at the next hearing.
Electricity
A Ministry of Water and Power joint secretary told Lahore High Court last week that the government was taking steps to curtail supply of electricity to Karachi Electricity Supply Company from 650MW to 350MW because of three contractual defaults.
Zargham Eshaque Khan appeared in court for hearing of several petitions regarding load shedding and over-billing. He said the KESC had breached three provisions of a contract signed with the National Transmission and Dispatch Company Limited. The first was non-payment of Rs54 billion outstanding electricity bills to the NTDC. Second, the KESC failed to establish shortfall of 2,424MW for drawing electricity in excess of 650MW for more than 60 minutes, in contravention of the contract.
Contractual employees
The LHC last week ordered the board of directors of Aitchison College to resolve the matter of termination of 70 contractual staff within 15 days and submit a report in this regard.
Earlier, the terminated employees told the court that the college administration had terminated them without notice. They said the tenure of their contract was not yet over.
A law officer of the college told the court that the administration had restored all sacked employees.
The judge asked if their services had been regularised. The law officer said they had not. The court then directed the board of governors of the college to decide the matter within 15 days and report its decision to the court.
Malik Ishaq’s bail
A division bench of the LHC disposed of the bail petition of Ahle Sunnat Wal-Jamat leader Malik Ishaq advising him to approach the subordinate court for this relief.
Ishaq’s counsel said the two cases registered by Bhakkar police against his client were based on political victimisation.
He said the police had registered the cases without proper investigation.
He asked to the court to release his client on bail.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2014.
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