Centre given time to reply in Senate election case

LAHORE
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court Tuesday gave more time to federal government for filing reply on an application seeking directions to hold Senate election through show of hands.
Judge earlier on February 26 had issued notice to the federal government but during the hearing Tuesday a deputy attorney general on behalf of the federal government requested for more time to file the reply.
The lawyer had filed this application in his pending petition for non-implementation of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution during scrutiny of candidates for upcoming Senate election.
Applicant said the government intention to hold Senate election through secret ballot was mala fide and it would provide chances of horse-trading and corruption. He said the government should ensure free, fair and transparent Senate election and these could only be held through show of hands.
Sajid Mir: Justice Ayesha A Malik of the Lahore High Court Tuesday again sought reply on a petition challenging acceptance of nomination papers of Prof Sajid Mir on PML-N ticket while he is Ameer of Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith.
On Tuesday, Prof Sajid counsel sought time for filing the reply and the court granted the same for today (Wednesday). Petitioner Qazi Hussain Siraj submitted that the commission had accepted Prof Sajid’s paper on PML-N ticket, which was illegal. He said Prof Sajid was Ameer of Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadith and as such could not contest the election on other party’s ticket.
He said he is also not a professor, according to the criteria of Higher Education Commission, as he did not have a PhD degree. He said he had degrees of Masters in English and Masters in Islamiat.
He said Prof Sajid did not fulfil criteria for technocrat provided to contest Senate election. He said it was necessary to have 25 years experience in particular field to fall in the category of technocrat, which he was not. He said Prof Sajid did not qualify for a candidate under Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution. He requested that the acceptance of nomination papers of Prof Sajid should be declared illegal and he should be restraint from contesting election on other party’s ticket.
SHO summoned: An Additional District and Sessions court on Tuesday summoned the North Cant SHO on an application seeking registration of an FIR against a man allegedly involved in torturing a maid.
The court passed the order on an application moved by Shakeela Rani, a resident of North Cantt. The petitioner told the judge that she had been working with a family for eight years. She said Safdar, the family head who was a contractor, had detained her and had been torturing her for the last two months. She said she had escaped from his detention. She said she had approached the police station concerned to lodge an FIR against her employer but they refused. She requested the court to lodge an FIR against the family head for harassing and torturing her and keeping her in illegal detention. The judge summoned the SHO along with relevant record.