Court Diaries: Govt flayed for withdrawing petition for extending LeJ leader’s detention

LAHORE: Malik Ishaq, a leader of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, remained in the limelight last week after the provincial government withdrew an application it had moved in the Lahore High Court (LHC) for extending Ishaq’s detention beyond six months.

The withdrawal of the application appeared to give Ishaq a clean chit to walk out of the jail.

The move brought the provincial government criticism from several quarters.

The government later implicated Malik Ishaq in another case.

He is presently on a judicial remand for 14 days.



Ishaq has been nominated in an FIR under Section 109 (abetting crime) of the Pakistan Penal Code in a double murder case.

GAT must for practising law

The Legal Education Committee of Pakistan Bar Council told the Lahore High Court last week that Law-GAT (general assessment test) would soon be declared mandatory for the enrolment of law graduates from foreign countries as well.

The court heard several petitions against the test declared mandatory by the Punjab Bar Council for law graduates before their enrollment as lawyers.

The committee chairman told the court that the decision had been taken to maintain standards. The court disposed of the petitions giving the bar a go ahead to implement its decision.

Wild animals

The LHC, last week, directed the Lahore city district government to carry out a survey regarding wild animals kept at people’s homes and farmhouses.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah directed the provincial government to seek help from citizens through media advertisements to trace out the animals.

The judge was hearing a petition that Activist Faryal Ali Gohar had moved for the protection of wildlife after a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate had used a tiger during his election campaign in 2013.

The court also sought a reply from the provincial government on a petition challenging hunting of Siberian birds, particularly houbara bustard. The petitioner, Kashif Sulemani, had submitted that every December millions of Siberian birds migrated to Pakistan. He said people hunted them in violation of international laws. He said the uncontrolled hunting risked the growth of the protected birds.

Green commission

The Lahore High Court, last week, heard a petition regarding the disposal of industrial waste in the city.

It asked the petitioner and respondents to argue on the merits of setting up a green commission to identify the problem.

The petitioner had submitted that pollution had increased in the city. He said more lives would be in danger if steps were not taken to control the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2014.