Forex case: FIA chief told to appear in SHC
By Tahir Siddiqui
KARACHI: Justice Sajjad Ali Shah of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency, Waseem Ahmed, to appear before him on March 11 along with the record of the money laundering cases registered against the directors of Khanani & Kalia International.
Justice Shah was appointed inquiry officer to probe into the allegations levelled by the FIA chief on the acquittal and subsequent release of money laundering accused Munaf Kalia, Hanif Kalia and Javed Khanani.
The FIA chief had alleged that the forex dealers secured release after a heavy bribe.
Initially, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken suo motu notice of the allegations and directed the SHC chief justice to get the matter investigated within one week and submit a report to the Supreme Court in this regard.
On March 4, 2011, a banking court had acquitted the three forex dealers along with Atif Aziz Polani, Syed Wajahat Ali, Arif Rehman, Tasleem Ahmed and Masood Altaf as the prosecution failed to prove its case.
The FIA had lodged cases against the directors of Khanani & Kalia International and seized its branches across the country in 2008 on allegations of illegally transferring billions of rupees abroad.
Smoke-emitting vehicles case
The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the secretaries of law and the Regional Transport Authority and officials of the revenue and transport departments to appear in court to explain as to what steps were taken for the establishment of an intercity bus terminal and phasing out of defective vehicles from the metropolis.
A division bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed gave these directions while hearing identical petitions of Advocates Islamuddin and Qazi Athar against smoke-emitting and noise-creating vehicles and illegal bus terminals in the city.
They submitted that unfit public vehicles, emitting excessive smoke and causing noise, badly affected the environment.
They stated in their petitions that the bus terminals in Saddar and its neighbourhoods had encroached upon streets causing severe traffic jams.
They stated that the traffic police did not complied with several directions of the court regarding smoke-emitting vehicles and a large number of defective rickshaws, smoke-emitting buses and coaches were still plying on the streets.
They submitted that efforts for achieving required results were not adequate and an unnecessary delay was being caused by the respondents for solving the issues relating to traffic.
The court observed that despite the court orders nothing appeared to have been done with regard to the establishment of an intercity bus terminal on allocated land of 100 acres in NC No.37, Deh Bijar Buthi, Karachi and there seemed to be complete inaction from all sides in addressing to such matter of great public utility.
The court also observed that apparently there was a complete lack of interest by the functionaries for providing the needs of the citizens and “this is one of the subjects, which is very reflective”.
The court further observed: “The establishment of a public utility of such importance and magnitude cannot be left at the mercy, will and desires of state functionaries as they have to be established for the benefit of the people for which purpose the functionaries are employed and paid.”
The court directed that all official respondent to file their comments supported by their respective affidavits regarding the step taken for implementing not only the mandate of the law but also orders passed by the court from time to time.
The court adjourned the hearing till March 31.
Source: Dawn
Date:3/10/2011
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