KARACHI: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday expressed serious resentment on the jail authorities for providing undue facilities to condemned prisoner Shahrukh Jatoi and directed the jail authorities to immediately shift him to the death cell.

After hearing cases at the SC Karachi Registry, the CJP paid a visit to the district prison in Malir, where detained suspects in money laundering/fake accounts case Anwar Majeed of the Omni Group and his son were also confined.

He expressed displeasure on jail officials for keeping Jatoi, condemned to death in the Shahzeb murder case, in better class facilities.

The CJP also ordered an inquiry and action against the officials responsible for providing unwarranted facilities to the death row prisoner.

FIA team takes away Anwar Majeed’s son from SC building premises

An antiterrorism court had sentenced Jatoi and his friend Nawab Siraj Ali Talpur to death in June 2013 for killing 20-year-old student Shahzeb Khan on Dec 25, 2012 near his home in Defence Housing Authority.

The court also visited the rooms of Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed in the penitentiary and observed that apparently the facilities being provided to them were more than what the jail manual allowed.

During the hearing of a fake accounts case, the CJP also said that those suspects were issuing instructions from jail through mobile phones.

The CJP visited the Nestle factory at Port Qasim. Earlier, the apex court ordered a forensic audit of the bottled water company. The CJP said the plot on which the plant was built was not leased and a report in that regard was called from the authorities concerned.

Action against sugar mills’ officials ordered

The SC on Saturday directed the Federal Investigation Agency to take immediate action against officials of several sugar mills owned by the Omni Group for removing the stocks (assets) required to be available against the loans obtained from different banks.

The chief justice also directed the inspector general of prisons to ensure that detained senior officials of the Omni Group, including chairman of the Omni Group of Companies Anwar Majeed and his son, in the fake accounts case must not have access to mobile phones.

The CJP observed that those suspects were issuing instructions from the detention facility and warned the IG prisons of stern action if he failed to comply with the directions.

A three-judge bench of SC headed by the CJP and comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Munib Akhtar was hearing a set of suo motu proceedings and petitions at the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry.

At the outset, head of the joint investigation team inquiring into the fake accounts case Ahsan Sadiq and FIA director general Bashir Memon informed the court that the stocks shown against the loans of around Rs50 billion obtained from the National Bank of Pakistan, Sindh Bank and Summit Bank had been removed or taken away from nine sugar mills of the Omni Group situated in different parts of the province.

The JIT head said that the mandatory stocks against those loans were not available as there must be stocks of Rs13.5bn, but only Rs2bn was available and the remaining Rs11.5bn was missing.

The chief justice expressed resentment over the removal of stocks from the mills and wondered where the FIA was when such misappropriation was being made, adding that the FIA had to monitor those mills and if there was any hurdle, the investigating agency should approach the apex court.

The CJP directed the FIA DG to lodge FIRs against officials of the mills and also told a lawyer, representing the Omni Group, to produce the chief executive officers of the sugar mills before court.

However, the lawyer informed the bench that the mobile phones of the CEOs were powered off and sought time by assuring it that he would produce those officials before the FIA DG for questioning as soon as possible. The matter was adjourned till Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a representative of the NBP informed the bench that criminal proceedings were being filed against the persons responsible for removing the stocks. The CJP suggested that FIRs also be lodged against them.

After the hearing, an FIA team headed by its DG took away a son of Anwar Majeed from the premises of the Supreme Court building.

Removal of encroachments in Saddar

While directing the deputy commissioners, Rangers and cantonment board officials to extend required support, the bench granted a month to Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar to remove encroachments from Empress Market and neighbouring areas in Saddar.

On a directive of the court, officials of the Karachi Development Authority, Karachi Cantonment Board, additional inspector general of police Karachi and others appeared before the court on Saturday for joint efforts to remove encroachments.

The bench directed the deputy commissioners of South and East, officials of the Cantonment Board Karachi and Rangers to extend necessary support to the mayor in a campaign against encroachments in Saddar, adding that in the first phase Empress Market and neighbouring areas would be set as a model for removal of encroachments and then it would be extended to other areas.

The CJP also directed the mayor to remove encroachments from inside and outside parks in a similar manner.

Zulfikarabad oil tankers’ terminal

The bench granted 15 days after the Karachi commissioner sought time to implement an earlier order of the apex court regarding shifting of oil tankers to the Zulfikarabad oil tankers’ terminal.

When the matter came up for hearing on Saturday, the CJP told the commissioner about the implementation, but the commissioner said that he had taken over just a few days back.

Therefore, he sought time for implementation of the order after holding discussions with all stakeholders to find a resolution to the matter and for a plan of action.

The bench was informed that the shifting could not be done as complete facilities were not available while some oil marketing companies were reluctant to move there.

A lawyer for the OMCs submitted that they needed six-month time as a pipeline was being laid and it would be completed in 2019. However, the CJP said that they could not wait for six months.

The bench also directed the authorities concerned to provide all facilitates at the terminal, including water, and told the association of oil tankers owners about the procedure of shops and lease.

Non-payment of salaries in SSIC

The bench directed the provincial authorities to pay the benefits to the employees of the Sindh Small Industries Corporation (SSIC) and also asked the provincial cabinet to consider the revival of the SSIC.

When a matter about illegal appointments in the SSIC and non-payment of salaries came up for hearing, Advocate General of Sindh Salman Talibuddin said that the competent authority had asked the SSIC to give doable plans to make it self-reliant.

The bench was informed that the SSIC was not in a position to be run due to illegal appointments and promotions while the employees had been paid only till January 2016.

The CJP directed the authorities to pay the remaining salaries or benefits of the employees and also asked the cabinet to consider the revival of the SSIC.

Encroachments in Sehwan

The bench directed the Sehwan Development Authority (SDA) to come up with a complete report about a housing scheme abandoned for want of funds within three weeks.

When a matter about the removal of encroachments in Sehwan came up for hearing, some affected people informed the bench that the SDA had conceived a housing scheme in 1998 and allotted plots to them against the payment, but the SDA was not developing it and had left the scheme abandoned for the last two decades.

An additional director of the SDA conceded said that they had partially developed the scheme, but could not complete it for want of funds. The CJP asked why, then, allotments were made and observed that the SDA should return the money.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2018

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