KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has postponed the hearings of more than 80 cases related to the customs and income tax due to lawyers strike against massacre in Mardan district and sessions courts.
These cases were fixed before two division benches, however, the SHC’s judges were informed by the representative of the legal bodies that due to Mardan’s tragedy, Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Berrister Faroogh A Naseem has announced full day strike. The lawyers requested the courts for adjournment of all cases; therefore, the court postponed the hearing of 80 cases without any proceedings.
On Friday, a attacker contained 8 kilograms of explosive material detonated a hand grenade before exploding his suicide vest outside the district courts, however a policeman fired at the attacker when he exploded himself, due to which at least 13 people including 4 lawyers and three policeman were killed and 41 others injured.
It needs to be pertinent here that, last month, 73 people, most of them lawyers, were killed after a suicide bomber struck the emergency ward of Quetta’s Civil Hospital. The Lawyers had gathered to mourn the death of Balochistan Bar Association’s president in a gun attack earlier in the day.
According to the roster, for Monday, cases were fixed before a division bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Abdul Malik Gaddi are included Naseeruddin Lalani, M/s Suleman Ebrahim, M/s Crystal Enterprises, M/s Amroze Stee and others
Other cases which were fixed before another division bench, comprising Justice Munib Akhter and Justice Anwar Hussain, are filed by M/s Universal Businesses Equipment Pvt Ltd, IR Zone-IV commissioner, M/s Raiwand Chemical Ind, Pak Arab Refinery Company Ltd, Retex Global Pvt Ltd and others.
Meanwhile, Custom Court Judge Faiz Rasool Rashdi on Monday also postponed the hearing of 18 cases related to custom and income tax cases to condemn the Mardan attack.
According to the cause list, 02 out of 18 cases were fixed for formal hearing of accused namely as Amir Shahzad & others and Naveed Ahmed.
11 out of overall 18, cases were fixed for prosecution evidences against accused namely as Abdul Rasheed & others, Arbab Ali &others, Faheem, Jawahar Lal, Abdul Wali &others, Arshad Ali Khan & others, Muhammad Rashid, Majassam Mushtaq, Muhammad Amir &others, Qaisar Waqas and Haji Mohammad Iqbal.
five cases were fixed for confirmation of bails of accused persons named Shahid Ansari & others, Abdul Hameed & others, Muhammad Naeem & others.
