PHC issues contempt notice to minerals secretary

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday issued a contempt of court notice to secretary Mines and Minerals Department in a case pertaining to a lease for excavation.

A two-member bench of Justice Qaiser Rasheed Khan and Justice Roohul Amin issued the notice. Anar Jahan had filed the contempt petition through his lawyer Naveed Akhtar, who informed the bench that the department had issued a lease to the applicant for excavation in Katlang area of Mardan district five years ago.

He argued the lease was issued at a cost of Rs3.7 million but the relevant authorities cancelled the lease on the ground that the applicant had excavated minerals worth Rs7.5 million within two months.The lawyer submitted that the applicant then moved the high court against the cancellation, which was accepted and the court directed the authorities to restore his lease.

He said that despite the court orders, the department could not restore the lease.After hearing the arguments, the court issued contempt of court notice to the respondent secretary Attaur Rahman and directed him to file his reply before next hearing.

Separately, a local court on Friday dismissed bail application of a person arrested for reportedly murdering two people including a woman in the name of honour.Additional District and Sessions Judge Farzina dismissed the bail application, which had been filed by the accused Maqsood Jan, a resident Urmarh area.

The public prosecutor said the accused had been charged with killing his brother’s wife Gul Laila and neighbour Asif Ali in the name of honour on January 15, 2014.He said a double-murder case was registered against the alleged killer by relatives of the deceased Asif Ali and Gul Laila under various sections of law.The public prosecutor said the police arrested him after raids. He requested the court to dismiss the bail application.