LHC to take up guardianship plea against Daultana, her son

Vet accused of killing pet cat.

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) will hold proceedings this week on a petition moved by Begum Aqueela Doultana accusing her daughter MNA Tehmina Daultana and her son Imran Daultana of trying to misappropriate her properties by having her declared mentally unfit.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan will hold the proceedings on May 21.

Aqueela said Tehmina and Imran were trying to get her guardianship through a civil suit so that they could look after her properties and bank accounts.

Imran, son of Mian Shaukat Ali Aqueel, had filed a petition before the district and sessions judge. He mentioned her properties to be given in his guardianship as a 14-marla house in Gulberg; a 13.3 acre house in Murree; 745 kanal land in Daultabad, Vehari; 97 kanal 18 marla land in Luddan, Vehari; rent of these properties and agricultural income; her bank accounts and properties of her special-person son Mian Nadeem Daultana.

He had told the court that she was 80 years old and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which was incurable. He said her servants were looking after her properties and stealing from her money. He also presented a medical certificate issued by Dr Muhammad Nasir Saeed. He also submitted a consent given by former Punjab advocate general Mustafa Ramday in favour of Imran to file the petition for guardianship.

Aqueela, her daughter Shazia Daultana and her sons Mian Zahid Daultana and Mian Nadeem Daultana challenged the petition before the district judge who dismissed Aqueela’s application, saying that the matter must be adjudicated on the basis of appropriate witnesses.

Now Aqueela, Shazia, Zahid and Nadeem have filed a petition before the LHC, challenging the order of the district sessions judge and consent of the Punjab AG.

“He is studying in the UK and cannot perform as my guardian. The medical certificate presented by Imran in the subordinate court is also of no value as Dr Saeed is not an authorised psychiatrist,” she stated in the petition.

She said Imran had filed the guardianship application on the behest of his mother to deprive her [his grandmother] of her properties.

She said she had been under treatment with Dr Muhammad Nasir Saeed for two and half year, but none of her relatives had approached a court to seek her guardianship.

Pet cat

Justice James Joseph of the LHC sought a reply last week from an SHO on a petition seeking registration of a case against a veterinary doctor for allegedly killing a pet cat by administering it the wrong injections.

Atia Masood, an assistant professor at the Punjab University, had filed the petition. “I used to take my (male) cat to Dr Awais Anees and pay him Rs6,000 per visit whenever it fell sick. On January 18, 2015, my cat fell sick and I called Anees. He demanded Rs25,000 this time to treat the cat. I paid him Rs10,000 and requested him not to insist on more. Anees administered five injections and a drip to the cat which caused its death. Afterwards, Anees ran away,” the petitioner stated.

Her counsel, Advocate Abdul Rasheed, told the court that Anees had deliberately killed the cat.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2015.