Hafiz Saeed case record sought

LAHORE :The Lahore High Court on Monday sought record in a petition challenging the detention of Jamatud Dawa’s (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.

Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmad ordered a deputy attorney general to produce all the case record on November 17. It was first hearing before Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmad as earlier Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi was hearing the case but on November 2, had declined to proceed, when another case pertained to alleged corruption in Punjab Saaf Pani Company was transferred from his court. The judge had referred it to the Chief Justice to put it before other bench.

A provincial review board comprising three Lahore High Court judges on October 18, had approved one-month extension in detention of Hafiz Saeed while turned down a request of the government for extending detention of his (Saeed) aides.

The board approved extension in the detention period of Hafiz Saeed for one month while refused to extend detention of other four leaders Qazi Kashif Niaz, Prof Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Abdullah Ubaid.

The Punjab government had detained the JuD leaders under Maintenance of Pubic Order as recommended by the federal government. resignation: The Lahore High Court on Monday directed the Punjab government to furnish a copy of resignation tendered by Punjab Chief Information Commissioner Naseer Ahmad Bhutta. 

As the hearing of a petition against the appointment started, an additional advocate general informed the court that the chief commissioner had tendered his resignation few days ago; therefore, the petition should be disposed of for becoming infructuous. At this, Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah directed the law officer to submit a copy of the resignation on next hearing.

A local lawyer had challenged the appointment of former MNA Naseer Ahmad Bhutta as chief information commissioner for being made on political basis. He had said that Bhutta was elected as MNA from Lahore in 2008 on the PML-N’s ticket, which clearly showed that he had a long and very close association with the ruling PML-N. 

He said the respondent was also president of the PML-N Lawyers Forum and two days before his appointment as the chief information commissioner he resigned from the post of additional attorney general. 

He argued that, under section 5 of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013, the commissioner shall not hold any other public office or any other office of profit or be connected with any political party.

He said the chief information commissioner should have the qualification to be appointed as judge of a high court. He had urged the court to set aside the impugned appointment being illegal and without lawful authority.