Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza on Friday issued notice to the federal government and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on a petition challenging appointment of Syed Burhan Ali as the acting director general of NAB Punjab.

The judge sought replies from the federal government and NAB till May 2. A local resident Imran Talib filed the petition challenging the appointment of Syed Burhan. The petitioner counsel alleged that the acting NAB DG was appointed purely on political grounds and it had been more than six months but he was not removed from the post.

He said that according to prevalent law, no person could be appointed as acting DG for a period of more than six months. He said that it was an unlawful appointment and was causing serious problems in working and business of the department.

He claimed that the poor performance of the bureau was creating problems for NAB references and other administrative matters. He requested to set aside the appointment of Syed Burhan as acting DG NAB.

In a separate Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Anwaarul Haq on Friday dismissed a petition seeking action against a veterinary doctor accusing him of killing a pet cat.

Dr Atia masood, an assistant professor at the Punjab University, had filed the petition. Petitioner counsel Abdul Rasheed Qureshi submitted that Dr Atia’s pet cat fell sick and she consulted Dr Anees for the treatment.

He said that the petitioner used to consult Dr Awais Anees and pay him Rs 6, 000 per visit whenever her cat fell sick. He submitted that on January 18, 2015, the cat fell sick and she called Dr Anees, who demanded Rs 25, 000 for treatment.

The counsel said that the petitioner had paid Rs10, 000 to the doctor and had requested him not to insist on more, due to which Dr Anees got annoyed and administered five injections and a drip to the cat, which caused its death.

He alleged that after the death of the cat, Dr Anees ran away from the spot, adding that under Section 429 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), a person who deliberately kills an animal could be imprisoned for five years.