The petitioners, Amir and Saqib, who are the owners of the restaurant, alleged that Samaa TV was blackmailing them over the issue of the death of the 13-year-old girl. Kanza Ahmed died a few hours after eating a burger from the restaurant while her siblings and mother also suffered from food poisoning.
A report of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), released last week, revealed that the burger Kanza ate on January 28 was “not fit for human consumption”.
The restaurant owners approached the high court against, what they claimed was, biased reporting by a private news television channel and harassment by the authorities. They argued that the actual cause of deaths has yet to be determined. They also claimed that the forensic examination report said the burger did not cause her death.
The allegations of Kanza’s death from eating poisonous burger are baseless, the petitioners said, complaining that the authorities are harassing them on the basis of ‘unproven’ allegations. The petitioners’ business has been closed, which is causing losses to them, their lawyer stated. They named the ministry of science and technology secretary, local government secretary, Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority secretary, Pakistan Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, commissioner, deputy commissioner Central, assistant commissioner Rafique A Sheikh, Central SSP, North Nazimabad SHO, the administrators of Hi-Life Hospital and Dr Ziauddin Hospital, KMC’s Medical Services senior director Dr Salma Kosar, and Samaa television director as respondents.
The court was pleaded to restrain the news channel from biased reporting of the incident. The owners also requested the court temporarily allow them continue their operations till the death case is finally decided.
After the initial hearing, the Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the deputy commissioner, Central, and other provincial and federal authorities on a petition filed by the owners. A division bench, headed by justice Nadeem Akhtar, directed the authorities file their comments by March 6, when the judges will examine the authorities’ replies.
After the initial hearing, the bench issued notices to the deputy commissioner, Central, and other provincial and federal authorities on a petition filed by the owners. “Till the next date, the official respondents shall act strictly in accordance with the law,” ordered Justice Akhtar.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2015.
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