BAHAWALPUR, June 18: The Lahore High Court (Bahawalpur bench) has issued bailable arrest warrants against the Pakistan Engineering Council registrar for his failure to respond to the contempt of court notice.

The orders were issued on an application filed by petitioners Imran and others the other day with an instruction to the Islamabad IGP to serve warrants on the respondent and ensure his appearance in the court here on July 1.

Accepting six identical petitions of about 100 out-going students of electronics department of the engineering college of Islamia University, the court had directed the PEC to issue registration certificates to petitioners within a month.

The PEC had challenged the appeal in the Supreme Court which dismissed it on March 5, 2008, upholding the LHC verdict.

Petitioners’ counsel Uzair Chughtai had filed a contempt of court petition against the PEC registrar when he failed to issue registration certificates despite the passage of three months. At this, the court had summoned the registrar to file his reply on June 16, but he did not comply with the court orders.

KILLED: A man was beaten to death on resistance by bandits during a dacoity in a house in Millat Colony on Tuesday night.

Police said that armed dacoits entered the house of Sohail Zia, held the inmates hostage and started collecting cash, jewellery and valuables. On offering resistance, the intruders thrashed badly Nisar and later decamped with the booty. The injured was shifted to a hospital where he died.