Court seeks Hafizabad bar’s reply

LHC seeks reply on the law ministry’s application that the bar’s petition against Babar Awan be dismissed.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court sought a reply from Hafizabad district bar association (DBA) on the law ministry’s application that the bar’s petition against Babar Awan be dismissed.

The bar had approached the court after a Rs30 million cheque given by the minister bounced. A deputy attorney general filed the application pleading that the bar office bearers could not bring the matter to court without a resolution passed by its general house.

He prayed the court to dismiss the petition on grounds of being non-maintainable. Justice Chaudhry directed the bar president to file his reply by December 3. Khalid Tehami, the DBA president had submitted in the petition that Awan had directed the finance ministry not to pay the bar the money after Tehami met with Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Tehmani said this indicated that he had been giving grants to bars to produce a PPP lobby.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2010.