KARACHI, May 22: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the chief secretary, provincial irrigation and health secretaries and chief of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board in a petition against the supply of contaminated and unhygienic water in the city.

The petition was filed by Rana Faizul Hasan, secretary general of the United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, who impleaded the chief secretary, provincial secretaries, KWSB managing director, director-general of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority and the administrator of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation as respondents.

He submitted in the petition that the people were being supplied contaminated water, which was injurious to their health.

The petitioner said that the industrial effluent was being discharged near the Kotri Barrage contaminating the water reservoir at the Keenjhar Lake, a major source of water supply to the city.

Besides, he stated that the medical services department of the KMC did not have equipment to check contamination level in water being supplied to the city, while the water utility was bound to provide clean and potable water after filtration.

He prayed to the court to direct the respondents to ensure supply of clean and hygienic water in the city.

A division bench headed by Justice Faisal Arab issued notices to the respondents and the provincial law officer and adjourned the hearing to a date to be later announced by the court’s office.

Notices issued in Fakhra Younus case

A division bench headed by Justice Maqbool Baqar issued notices to Bilal Khar, a former member of the Punjab Assembly and son of former Punjab governor Ghulam Mustafa Khar, in a petition seeking his retrial in the Fakhra Younus acid throwing case.

The court also directed the Nazir of the court to obtain the entire record of the case from the sessions court after preparing entire inventory of such record.

Bilal Khar was exonerated by the district and sessions court (south) on Dec 16, 2003 from charges of throwing acid to his estranged wife Fakhra Younus.

Fakhra, who was shifted to Italy for plastic surgery after the attack, had committed suicide on March 17.

The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research and other right activists approached the court through a constitutional petition submitting that Fakhra was denied justice as the trial court decided the acquittal of the accused without recording her testimony.

It was prayed to the court to set aside the trial court order and order retrial of Bilal Khar.