Court rejects PTI’s plea for FIR against CM, ministers

Karachi
The District and Sessions Court (South) found no legal justification to register a case against Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and other provincial ministers for heatstroke deaths in the province and rejected the application submitted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Ismail.
The PTI’s deputy secretary-general had argued in his application that the chief minister and other allegedly responsible ministers and officials should be booked because up to 2,000 people died of heat-related causes due to the apathy demonstrated by the entire government apparatus, especially the nominated persons.
The applicant, referring to Section 22, had nominated Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, information and local bodies minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, health minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, former Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator Saqib Soomro and provincial disaster management authority chief Suleman Shah as respondents in his plea.
On Thursday the court heard arguments pertaining to the registration of an FIR against the nominated ministers for hundreds of deaths during the heatwave. On Friday, it rejected the stance and found no legal grounds to maintain the application.
The court had heard arguments whether a case should be registered at the Civil Lines police station by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Ismail for the deaths of up to 2,000 people on account of the excruciating heat and criminal negligence in taking protective measures.
The court was informed on behalf of the Civil Lines police station that no one had died of heat stroke within its jurisdiction and the complainant who was trying to register a case (Imran Ismail) had failed to submit any reports issued by any medico-legal officers (MLOs).
The court was further informed that no necessary legal requirements were fulfilled by the complainant.
The applicant also made the Civil Lines SHO a respondent in the case and submitted that he had approached the SHO with an application to lodge a case against the proposed accused under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab, causing death unintentionally) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code. However, said the PTI leader, the SHO refused to entertain his application and asked the court to direct the police to set the law in motion by lodging an FIR immediately against the proposed accused.
The judge incharge of the District and Sessions Court (South), Sikandar Ameer Pahore had put the Civil Lines SHO on notice and to submit a reply.