Demolition of PRC Market Mardan

PHC stops officials’ salaries for non-compliance of its orders

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stopped the salaries of Secretary Defence Lt Gen (R) Muhammad Alam Khan Khattak, Brigadier Tariq Qadir who is commandant Punjab Regiment Centre (PRC) at Mardan Cantonment and other military officers for non-compliance with the court orders.

A two-member bench comprising of Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Syed Afsar Shah also summoned the secretary defence, commandant PRC, Colonel Gulzar, chief administrator PRC, in-charge PRC Market and private contractor Majid Kashmiri on February 3 at the next hearing of the case.

The court summoned the secretary defence and military officials for non-compliance with the court order on a previous order issued on December 30 that asked the respondents to appear and reply to the show-cause notice in the contempt of court petition.

The court asked the respondents as to why they did not comply with the court order restraining them from demolishing the PRC market located in Mardan Cantonment.

Shopkeepers of the PRC Market, Raji Khan and others had filed the contempt of court petition. During the hearing, the petitioners’ lawyer Ghulam Mohiyuddin Malik said two division benches of PHC had passed stay orders on the petition on December 21 and restrained the respondents from any action till the next order of the court.

He argued that despite the court’s stay orders the respondents sealed the whole market on the morning of December 22 and started demolishing the shops after shifting the goods worth millions of rupees kept there in their own vehicles to an unknown place.