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Published 18 Mar, 2010 12:00am

LHC moved for making Benazir`s will public

LAHORE, March 17 The Lahore High Court has been moved through a civil miscellaneous application seeking an order to make public the last will of former prime minister the late Benazir Bhutto.

Petitioner Barrister Javed Iqbal Jeffery filed this application to supplement a pending main petition he had filed in 2007 against Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and other political leaders, seeking appointments on all important posts in the country 'purely on merit instead of merely political consideration'.

Hearing of the fresh application has been fixed for March 22 before Justice Umar Ata Bandial, whereas, the main petition was already fixed for April 14.

The petitioner has taken a plea that late Benazir Bhutto was a popular political leader of Pakistan so the people of the country wanted to know what she had written in her will.

He said the people also wanted to know whether the Benazir's will was forged by her legal heirs for any personal benefit.

Summoned A division bench of the Lahore High Court exempted on Wednesday Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik from personal appearance for one time and ordered him to appear before them on the next date of hearing on March 25.

The bench consisting of Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Justice Waqar Hasan Mir also extended his bail till March 25.

The bench has granted him bail after suspending his conviction under Section 31-A of the National Accountability Ordinance in two references made by the National Accountability Bureau.

On Wednesday, Rehman's counsel informed the bench that the minister was busy in cabinet meeting in Islamabad, therefore, he (minister) may be exempted from personal appearance.

The bench allowed the request and adjourned hearing till March 25.

In the first reference, Mr Malik and others are accused of receiving two cars worth Rs1.7 million from Saleem Godial of Toyota Central Motors, Karachi, as gratification on account of purchase of official vehicles by FIA worth billions of rupees.

The second case was registered by the FIA on a complaint of Hashim Raza, of Lahore, who alleges that Mr Malik along with other officials raided his house in August 1994 and looted 20-tola jewellery and Rs700,000.

Adjourned A full bench of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday adjourned hearing till March 29 of two constitutional petitions challenging ban on public representatives for holding office of prime minister or chief minister for third term.

The bench postponed hearing due to unavailability of attorney general of Pakistan who was busy in the Supreme Court at Islamabad.

The petitions were filed by a senior lawyer, Malik Tariq Aziz, and a citizen Asghar Khan.

They had taken the plea that the impugned ban was imposed through a chief executive's order No 19 of 2002 by then president Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired).

They said it was laid down in the law that any person who had already held the office of prime minister or chief minister twice should not be qualified to hold any of these offices for third time.

Petitioners said the restriction was against the Constitution which allowed every citizen to take part in election.

Wattoo The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued notices to federal minister Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, an MNA from Okara, on an application seeking recounting of votes.

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