KARACHI: Legal wrangling over the Sindh cabinet’s decision to remove Inspector General of Police A.D. Khowaja is bound to continue for an unspecified period, as the Sindh High Court on Thursday had to adjourn the matter extending its interim order that had restrained the provincial government from removing him.

Headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, a two-judge bench put off the hearing of the two applications against the provincial government’s decision to transfer Mr Khowaja after it was informed that the applicants’ counsel did not turn up due to his engagement before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Extending its interim order till April 19, the bench observed that the matter would be heard on a day-to-day basis starting with the next hearing.

At the previous hearing on April 11, the counsel for the applicants, advocate Faisal Siddiqui, was still on his heels while forwarding arguments against the government’s decision when the court adjourned the matter directing him to continue his submissions on the next date.

Civil rights campaigners had approached the SHC requesting contempt proceedings against the provincial government after it surrendered the services of Mr Khowaja to the federal government and appointed Additional IG Sardar Abdul Majeed Dasti, a grade-21 officer, as acting IG on March 31 and April 1, respectively.

Dr Asim’s plea for foreign travel

The SHC on Thursday directed interior ministry, National Accountability Bureau, and the Sindh government to file their respective replies on a petition filed by Dr Asim Hussain, former federal minister and a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Headed by Justice Junaid Ghaffar, a two-judge bench also issued notice to the federal and provincial law officers and put off the case for two weeks.

Dr Asim had moved the SHC for the removal of his name from the ECL to travel abroad for medical treatment. He moved a constitutional petition through his counsel submitting that a nine-member medical board had recommended that he undergo spinal surgery abroad.

On March 31, Dr Asim was released from a sub-jail set up for him at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre after he was granted bail in two corruption references filed by NAB for allegedly causing huge losses to the national exchequer through corrupt practices. He remained behind bars for a little over 19 months.

Petition against SSP Rao Anwar

The same bench asked former senior superintendent of police (SSP) Niaz Khoso to satisfy the court on the maintainability of his constitutional petition seeking registration of a case against SSP Rao Anwar for allegedly siphoning off Rs85 billion from Pakistan to other countries.

This was the second petition filed by ex-SSP Niaz Khoso, who alleged that Mr Anwar had amassed substantial wealth through illegal and corrupt practices, including land grabbing and money laundering, as Malir SSP over the past nine years.

The bench put off the hearing to a date to be later pronounced by the court’s office.

Last week, Mr Khoso had moved the SHC for the recovery of his son, a sub-inspector with the Anti-Encroachment Force, from the alleged illegal confinement of SSP Anwar and other police officials.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2017