PHC issues notice to DG Excise

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued a notice to director general Excise and Taxation Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a writ petition filed against cancelation of a bid process for manufacturing and supply of number plates to vehicles.

A division bench headed by Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan issued the notice to DG Excise and Taxation in a writ petition of a company M/S A-2-Z E/Payments through its Chief Executive Officer Shakirullah, who was the lowest bidder in the process.

The court also issued notice to head of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Procurement Authority (KPPPRA) in the case. During hearing of the case, the petitioner’s lawyer Nasir Kamal Yousafzai submitted that the DG Excise and Taxation in 2015 advertised a bid regarding manufacturing and supply of number plates for vehicles for three years.

Like other companies, he said the petitioner also participated in the bid and later on the petitioner was declared as lowest bidder for the manufacturing and supply of the number plates. As per the rules, he said the DG Excise should have declared the company as successful bidder, but in the meantime he called a meeting on the complaint of another company EHH Hoffmanns GmbH Pak, which before the bid had provided the number plates to the department for the last 10 years.

After hearing the arguments, the court admitted the petition for hearing and issued notice to DG Excise and Taxation and head of KPPPRA to submit reply in the case.

PHC issues show-cause notice over demolition of shops in Mardan: Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday issued show-cause notice to Secretary Defence Lt Gen (R) Muhammad Alam Khan Khattak and other military officials for demolition of about 200 shops in the Punjab Regiment Centre (PRC) Market despite the court’s stay order.

A single bench headed by Justice Mrs Irshad Qaiser issued the show-cause notice to the secretary defence, chief administrator/project director PRC Mardan Cantonment, in-charge PRC Market and private contractor Majid Kashmiri.

The court asked the respondents to submit reply to the show-cause notice and explain their position as to why the court orders were violated.The court also directed the respondents to stop further demolitions or construction of any other building in the market till the next order of the court.

During hearing of the contempt of court petition, the petitioner’s lawyer Ghulam Mohiyuddin Malik said the high court’s two division benches had passed stay orders on the writ petition on December 21 and restrained the respondents from taking any action till next order of the court.

Despite the stay orders, he argued, the respondents sealed the whole market on the morning of December 22 and started demolition after shifting the goods in the shops worth millions of rupees to an unknown place in their own vehicles.

He said the respondents had violated the Cantonment Rent Restriction Act by just issuing a notice to the shopkeepers to vacate the shops that were given on rent through a proper agreement.

The bench, after hearing the contempt of court petition, issued show-cause notices to the respondents directing them to explain their position at the next hearing of the case.