Benazir seeks permit for bulletproof vehicle

[Moin91]

Wednesday, September 19, 2007
By Jamal Khurshid

Karachi

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to secretaries of the ministry of interior and home department as well as the deputy attorney general (DAG) on a petition by PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto seeking permit for importing a bulletproof vehicle.

The petitioner, who was twice elected prime minister of the country, submitted that there was political threat to her life on her return to Pakistan during the general elections and it would be essential for her to travel in a bulletproof vehicle keeping in view the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

Benazir has announced that she will return to Pakistan on October 18 this year, ending her eight-year self-imposed exile.

Benazir’s counsel Farooq H Naek submitted that the Customs Act permits the import of bulletproof vehicles on fulfilling the conditions and the same was allowed on the recommendation of the interior ministry subject to routing of the request to the provincial home department.

He said that the petitioner had written to the home department to get permission but the respondents neither issued an import permit nor replied to the letter of the petitioner.

He stated that all the conditions were fulfilled but the respondents failed to issue such permission, which they were required to do so under the law. It was contended that, being a high profile person, the petitioner has a lawful right to import bulletproof vehicles, as the prime minister, chief minister and other important government functionaries also travel in bulletproof vehicles.

Naming secretaries of the interior and home departments as respondents, the court was prayed to direct them to issue necessary instructions for issuing a permit to the petitioner to import a bulletproof vehicle.

The SHC’s division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihudin Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab, after conducting preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the respondents as well as the DAG for September 26 and called for their comments.

Benazir’s sister-in-law and PPP MNA Dr Azra Fazal had earlier approached the home department for permission to import a bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser for her and her family members.

Petition against Patriot, Sherpao groups’ merger:

Meanwhile, the same bench adjourned the hearing of the petition filed by the PPP chairperson against the election commission’s (EC) order regarding the merger of two factions of the PPP - Patriots and Sherpao — under the name of PPP, on the request of the respondent’s counsel.

Benazir Bhutto along with PPP Secretary General Jahangir Badar has questioned the EC’s notification dated June 17, 2004, granting a merger plea of two disassociated factions of her party and naming them PPP, under Constitution and provision of Election Order-2002.

The petitioners said that the respondent’s order was in violation of articles 4 and 25 of Constitution and Representation of Peoples Act-1976 as it would mislead voters into voting for defectors and manipulators.

The court was prayed to declare the EC’s order illegal and restrain the respondents from using/acting under the name of PPP for any purpose in any manner whatsoever. Besides the EC, federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao of PPP (Sherpao) and federal Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal of PPP (Patriot) were named as respondents in the petition.

Adjournment was sought by Sherpao’s counsel Hamid Khan as he had received the notice the other day. However, no one appeared on behalf of Rao Sikandar Iqbal of PPP (Patriot). Granting the request, the court adjourned the hearing till October 25.