SHAHZAD AHMAD

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed district and sessions judges across the province to ensure submission of annual declarations of assets along with income and expenditure statements by the staff at sessions and civil courts.

A direction issued by the LHC registrar to district and sessions judges of Punjab says, “I am directed to refer to the subject cited above and to convey that the Punjab Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1996 obligates every government servant to submit an annual declaration of income, assets and expenses for every financial year ending on 30th June.”

The LHC direction further says that declaration of assets is important part of CRC dossier of a government servant. It has been observed that in some districts staff/officials of civil and sessions courts do not regularly submit annual declarations.

It says, “All district and sessions judges in the Punjab are therefore directed to ensure regular submission of such annual declarations till 30 July of every calendar year by court officials working under their administrative control and the officials who fail to comply with the mandatory legal requirements shall be proceeded against under Punjab Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules 1999.”

It further directs the district and sessions judges to submit the compliance report within one month about the submission of such declarations by the staff by 15th of August of every calendar year in future.

The current direction issued for submission of asset declaration by the court officials is part of Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Anwaarul Haq’s pledge he recently made after inauguration of the evening court in Lahore. He had pledge to purge the judiciary of corruption and corrupt practices. He had also pledged to enforce reforms in the judiciary on a daily bases. He had said that he would take at least one step during his short tenure of about two months for the betterment of the judiciary and for easy and quick administration of justice.

The current directives are a step towards purgation of the judicial system of corruption and corrupt practices of court officials including readers, Ahlmeds, etc.

WITNESSES SKIP HEROIN
CASE HEARING

A sessions court on Monday adjourned till tomorrow (Thursday) the hearing of a heroin smuggling case against Czech model Tereza Hluskova who was arrested at Lahore airport while trying to smuggle nine kilograms of heroin.

Additional Sessions Judge Ali Raza adjourned the hearing due to non-appearance of prosecution witnesses from Customs. The model however appeared in the court.  Earlier the court had recorded statements of other prosecution witnesses in the case. As per case details, Tereza was trying to smuggle heroin from Lahore but she was intercepted by customs officials. She was on a three-month family visa to Pakistan.  During inspection, it was revealed that she was carrying nine kilograms of heroin with her. Her alleged facilitator Tariq was also arrested. According to Tariq, Tereza was sent by his brother’s friend and it wasn’t her first visit.

The model in her statement said that she was in Pakistan for modelling purposes and did not know who placed heroin in her luggage.

The court indicted the Czech model in the heroin smuggling case but she pleaded not guilty before the court. During the hearing, the prosecution told the court that the accused along with her partner Shoaib Hafeez got a house on rent from Ishaq. The lawyer of the foreign model told the court that there was no record of getting any house on rent.