HYDERABAD, July 7: A judge of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Wednesday issued notices to Sindh secretaries for health, local government and irrigation, directing them to appear in person before the court on July 26.

The judge, Justice Azizullah Memon, issued the notices in the contaminated water case. He had taken a suo moto notice after different courts granted pre-arrest bails to nominated accused in the case.

The three secretaries were earlier directed by the judge to appear in the court on July 7. However, the former EDO, health, Agha Tariq Pathan, former director- general, HDA, Ali Ahmad Lund, former chief engineer, Sukkur Barrage, Ghulam Nabi Mughal, DPO, investigation, Hyderabad, Pir Fareed Jan Sirhandi, and the medical superintendent, Liaquat University Hospital, Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi, who are nominated in the case, attended the court in person.

The secretary for health was represented by the additional secretary, Iqbal Daudpota, and Ghulam Arif appeared on behalf of the local government secretary. The judge directed the secretaries to appear in the court and submit their statements.

Appearing on behalf of the former Sukkur Barrage chief engineer, Raja Qureshi and Yousuf Laghari, who represented Agha Tariq and Ali Ahmad Lund, submitted that they had received notices very late. They appealed to the court that should be given time to submit replies to the suo moto notice.

MEETING: A member of the Central Board of Revenue, Islamabad, Habib Fakhruddin, held a meeting with taxpayers at the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry's conference room on Wednesday.

The member introduced proposed forms of returns of total income for various categories of taxpayers and sought the opinion of the taxpayers on the forms. He said the return forms had been simplified. He stressed the need for cooperation of the taxpayers in this regard.

MEMBER: The Chief Election Commissioner has notified the name of Khan Mohammad, a resident of Goth Shadi Khan Zardari, Gul Mohammad Laghari union council, Shahdadpur taluka, Sanghar, as a member against reserved seats for peasants of the union council.