KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday restrained the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Sindh till Aug 3 from taking coercive action against Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh in two pending inquiries.

A provincial law officer sought time from the SHC to get information regarding the status of inquires pending against Mr Sheikh, who is a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Mr Shaikh, through his brother, approached the SHC against raids being conducted at the houses of the opposition leader and his relatives and sought details of all the pending inquiries or FIRs against him, asking the court to also order the ACE to not arrest him.

When a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro took up the matter for hearing, it was informed that only two inquiries were pending against petitioner at the ACE.

However, an assistant advocate general sought some time to get first-hand knowledge regarding status of those inquiries so that a proper order could be passed safeguarding rights of each party including the petitioner.

The petitioner’s lawyer filed a rejoinder along with bunch of documents in response to the comments of respondents and a copy of which was shared with the counsel representing the state.

“Since, so far only two inquiries are said to be pending against the petitioner, we are hopeful that till next date of hearing no coercive action would be taken against him in those two inquiries, save in accordance with law,” the bench stated in its order and adjourned the hearing till Aug 3.

Citing the Sindh chief secretary and ACE chairman as respondents, the petitioner alleged that after “regime change at the Centre, the ruling PPP in Sindh has also come in power at federal level and started fresh victimisation campaign against him in a bid to get budget approved without opposition”.

He submitted that the respondents might be restrained from causing his arrest till some material was placed in court and pleaded to grant protection so that he could conduct political activities on behalf of his party in connection with the upcoming local government in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.

Earlier, the ACE in its comments said that an inquiry against the PTI leader and others was initiated in 2019 on the complaint of citizen Muhammad Ali Ghanchi for allegedly occupying his as well as state land wile a complaint was also lodged against him in 2020 at ACE Jamshoro office.

Ghauri left country after getting bail, SHC told

The SHC was informed on Thursday that former federal minister Babar Khan Ghauri has already left the country after getting bail in pending cases from a trial court.

The former port and shipping minister had moved the SHC seeking a restraining order for respondents from arresting him in hidden inquiries/cases and production of details of all such cases in court.

At the outset of the hearing on Thursday, an additional prosecutor general and assistant advocate general informed the bench that former minister had left Pakistan after getting bail and his petition had become infructuous.

However, the petitioner’s lawyer did not turn up and the bench adjourned the hearing till Aug 23 directing him to satisfy the court on the point maintainability of the petition.

Last month, the SHC had granted two-week protective bail to Mr Ghauri in a corruption reference and a money laundering and terror financing case and directed him to surrender before the trial courts within stipulated period.

However, he was arrested from Karachi airport on June 4 upon his return to the country and was released on July 13. He left the country for Dubai.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2022