| PPP leader Khursheed Shah’s bail plea to be taken up today | Hearing of contempt case against Sheikh Rasheed tomorrow | 3-judge bench to hear Zardari’s plea for transfer of NAB cases from Islamabad to Karachi

ISLAMABAD   -  Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed has constituted six benches at the principal seat Islamabad to hear a number of important cases during this week starting from Monday.

The first bench is comprised of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar while the second bench is comprised of Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Yahya Afridi.

The third bench is comprised of Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi. Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan will be members of the fourth bench, while the fifth bench will consist of Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed. 

A three-member bench headed by Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik and comprising Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah would form the sixth bench.

According to officials, the Supreme Court will take up the contempt petition against Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed on (Tuesday) December 15.

A three-member SC bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Ijaz UL Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar would hear the case filed by the Chairperson Pakistan Girls Guide Association over the demolition of the boundary wall of the association’s headquarters in Rawalpindi on April 15, 2019. 

Sheikh Rasheed and Sheikh Rashid Shafiq had been accused of chopping down trees. The court had ordered the authorities to rebuild the wall but the orders are yet to be implemented.

Similarly, the Supreme Court will hear former President and Co-Chairman Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari’s petition regarding transfer of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Reference from Accountability Court (No II) Islamabad to Accountability Court at Karachi on Tuesday (December 15).

A three-member SC bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi would hear the case. The former President had moved four separate petitions seeking transfer of four corruption references against him from the Islamabad Accountability Court to any other accountability court in Karachi. The references were including fake bank accounts reference, Park Lane Estate Private ltd reference, Thatta Water Supply reference and Toshakhana corruption reference.

Also, Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear bail plea of former opposition leader in National Assembly and senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Monday (December 14).

According to details, a three member bench presided by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Yahya Afridi would hear the bail pleas filed by Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and his son Syed Farukh Ahmed Shah. Court, while fixing the plea for hearing, sent notice to prosecutor NAB.

NAB had alleged that it conducted inquiry against Syed Khursheed Shah MNA on receipt of multiple complaints that he was richest man in the Sindh beyond his known sources of income and investigation whereby collected the evidence against him and filed a Reference in NAB Court Sukkur.

He was nominated the accused No.1 in the Reference No.17/2019 along with seventeen others and the Petitioner/ accused in connivance with other co-accused persons accumulated assets beyond their known sources to the tune of Rs 1.229 billion which were disproportionate to their known sources of income, it added.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had also approached the Supreme Court against the decision to grant bail to Syed Khursheed Shah’s son-in-law, wife and others.

The benches would also hear many important cases including service and pension matters of government employees, educational institutions matters, labour cases, appeals against death sentences and life imprisonment, appeals against acquittal of accused in murder and corruption cases, bail appeals in NAB cases, and election petitions of different politicians.

According to cause lists, no adjournment on any ground will be granted and no application for adjournment through fax will be placed before the court. Furthermore, if the counsel is unable to appear for any reason, the advocate-on-record will be required to argue the case.