FBR barred from taking coercive measures against Rahat Fateh Ali

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court Wednesday barred Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) from taking coercive measures against singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for the recovery of income tax.

Through a writ petition, the singer challenged freezing of his bank accounts by the FBR on alleged default of income tax. The singer’s counsel Shafiq Ahmad Chawla argued before the court that his client had been regularly paying income tax. However, he said the FBR illegally froze bank accounts of the petitioner accusing him of not paying the tax for year 2015-16. He said his client had no secret bank account. The lawyer asked the court to restrain the FBR from recovering the alleged defaulted amount of income tax from the petitioner and order it to defreeze the bank accounts. Justice Shahid Jamil Khan disposed of the petition and directed the petitioner to first avail remedy in the law by filing an appeal before the FBR. However, the judge restrained the FBR from taking coercive measures against the petitioner till decision of his appeal. 

Hafiz Saeed: Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali Wednesday furnished sensitive documents before a judge of the Lahore High Court in his chamber to defend the government’s decision about detention of Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. 

As hearing started, AGP told the judge that the documentary material which the federal government relied on while issuing detention order against Saeed was of sensitive nature and it would be highly inappropriate to unfold them in an open court. He sought permission from the court to produce the relevant material in chamber, requesting the same should not be made part of the case record. After Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi allowed the request the AGP shared the documents with the judge in his chamber where Advocate Dogar was also present. Prior to the chamber’s proceedings, an officer of ministry of interior told the court that the JuD chief had been detained in light of reports and recommendations by intelligence agencies.

The judge would resume hearing on Thursday (today). Challenging the detention of Hafiz Saeed, Advocate Dogar had contended that the government detained his client on the basis of mere apprehensions and hearsay. He argued that an order of preventive detention had to satisfy the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court in its many judgments but in the instant case sheer violation of laws had been committed by the government. He said imprisonment without trial and conviction was prima facie unlawful and unconstitutional. A provincial review board had approved an application of the government seeking extension in the detention of Saeed for another 30-day starting from Oct 25. However, the board did not allow further detention of four other leaders of the JuD.