IHC removes objections over petition

Islamabad

Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) here Monday removed objections over a writ petition where a petitioner has been seeking from the court to direct federal government to retrieve the dead body of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali from United Kingdom.

Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, a leading Muslim member of Pakistan’s independence movement and creator of the word ‘Pakistan’ died on February 19, 1951 in London and was buried there.

IHC registrar office had raised objections over this petition while the IHC bench here Monday removed objections and directed registrar office to fix the petition for hearing. 

Petitioner a citizen, Ansar Mehmood, in his petition has cited Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s High Commission in London and Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman as respondents.

In his petition, Mehmood adopted that Chaudhry Rehmat Ali was the creator of word ‘Pakistan’ and hence a national hero. At the time of his death, he was buried in London under a temporary arrangement with an understanding that his body will be shifted to Pakistan later on. There were various examples when different countries retrieved dead bodies of their heroes and later they buried them at their homeland with full reverence. In the case of a Pakistani traitor, Matee-ur-Rehman, due to him Rashid Minhas had destroyed his airplane preventing it from landing in India; Matee-ur-Rehman till 2006 was buried in Karachi when Pakistan government during a visit of the Bangladeshi prime minister had handed over his body to her. Later his burial ceremony was done in Bangladesh with full honor and reverence. 

The petitioner has prayed to the court to direct federal government to seriously take up this matter with London and arrange for return of the dead body of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali to Pakistan.

Separately, in another matter, Justice Aamir Farooq of the IHC here Monday granted three days time to the legal counsel for former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf to submit certified copies of trial court decision issuing non-bailable arrest warrants of Pervez Musharraf.

On March 12, Pervez Musharraf through his counsel, Malik Tahir Mehmood advocate had challenged the orders of an Islamabad additional session judge issuing non-bailable arrest warrants for him to procure his attendance before the court in Ghazi Abdur Rasheed murder case.

Musharraf in his application had submitted that the court issued his warrants of arrest despite the fact that he submitted medical certificates before the court and had requested to grant him exemption from personal appearance due to his health condition. He has prayed the court to annul the arrest warrants.

In Monday’s hearing when IHC bench demanded certified copies of the trial court’s decision and the medical reports of Musharraf, his counsel sought some time from the court to obtain the documents. The court then adjourned  hearing in this matter for three days.