Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday directed the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control to remove the names of two religious leaders from the fourth schedule and disposed of the petition.

A single member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Mohsan Akhter Kiyani, announced the verdict in a case filed by QariSohail Ahmed Farooqi and Abdul HameedSabri, challenging the addition of their names in the ministry’s fourth schedule list.

During hearing, the counsel for the petitioner, Tariq Khan Marawat Advocate, argued that his clients couldn’t perform Haj or Umra due to addition of their names in the fourth schedule for the last seventeen years.

He said this was a violation of basic human rights and there was no any evidence against his clients. Tariq Khan adopted the stance that both his clients were being victimised and harrased for the last seventeen years by adding their names in the fourth schedule without any reason.

He informed the court that Qari and Sabri had been sending applications to the ministry to remove their names but no one paid attention to their issue.

The petitioner prayed the court to issue directives for the Interior Ministry to remove their names from the fourth schedule.

It may be mentioned here that the Interior Ministry, the Chief Commissioner Islamabad, the SSP and the SHO Bara Kahu Police Station had already submitted their reply to the court.

After hearing the arguments the court directed the Interior Ministry to remove the names of both the persons from the fourth schedule list and disposed of the petition.

Meanwhile, an Intra Court Appeal has been moved in the IHC challenging the single member bench decision regarding the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and other members of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

A citizen of Kasur and RiazHanifRahiAdvocate, had challenged the appointments of the ECP members. The petitioner had adopted the stance that the Chief Election Commissioner and other several members were ineligible for the slots.

They said that the CEC and other members had also crossed the age limit of sixty years.

The Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Secretary ECP, CEP and others had been nominated as respondents in the case.

It may be mentioned here that earlier, a single member bench of the IHC comprising Justice AamirFarooq had already dismissed the petition while declaring it as not fit for hearing.