SHC dismisses PPP MNA Bijar’s plea

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Jam Karim Bijar's plea, seeking protection against placement of his name in the Exit Control List and Provincial National Identification List as not maintainable.

The PPP MNA, who left for Dubai after the murder of social activist Nazim Jokhio and was declared as an absconder by the police, submitted in the petition that he was granted 10 days protective bail in the case and wanted to return to the country to surrender before the trial court.

He submitted that soon after granting of protective bail, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed called a press conference and issued threats to him and made a statement that he will be arrested on his arrival in the country, which is also contempt of the court orders.

The petitioner submitted that he also came to know that official respondents have put together various teams at Karachi and Islamabad airports for the purpose of arresting the petitioner upon his arrival.

He said that Governor Sindh also issued a letter to director general FIA to include his name in the Provincial National Identification List to ensure his presence in the relevant court of the law in the larger public interest.

He submitted the government was also fearing a no confidence motion and all this action was being done to stall any possibility of the petitioner’s reaching the National Assembly and to gain politically due to his absence.

The court was requested to restrain the respondents from placing his name in ECL, PNIL or from arresting him in any other FIR upon his arrival in the country.

The SHC's division bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro after hearing the arguments of the counsel, observed that the court had already granted protective bail to the petitioner for 10 days and such an order was neither recalled or set aside by the Supreme Court.

The court observed that nothing was shown on record that the letter issued by the Sindh governor has been acted upon by the FIA or whether the name of the petitioner has been placed in the PNIL. The court dismissed the petition as not maintainable.