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Stay on collection of infrastructure tax further extended: SHC seeks 10-yr record of CDGK’s tax collection

Staff Report

KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, while extending the stay against the collection of infrastructure tax levied by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), asked the city government to submit its 10-year tax collection record by its subordinate department, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah earlier heard CDGK EDO (Law) Manzoor Ahmed who pressed the bench hard for vacating the stay.

He stated that due to the incorrect interpretation of the interim order passed by the bench, the CDGK was not collecting utility charges, resulting in the depletion of coffers of the city government.

The bench also raised a number of queries with the counsel for the petitioner NGO, advocate Abdul Waheed, who was not equipped with the relevant information and did not annex crucial documents to support his contentions.

The bench, in response to repeated requests by the CDGK lawyers for vacation of stay, said that if the respondent is not collecting infrastructure tax, there will be no interim order in creating any obstruction in the collection of any legal and lawful charges or tax. The bench asked the EDO (law) to show the court as to what powers are available with the City Council for levying or changing the tariff of any tax.

Later, the bench extended the stay against the levy and collection of infrastructure tax, while putting off further hearing till November 25. The bench, directing the CDGK lawyer to submit the relevant record, sought information as to with what ratio the levy was revised upward and to specify that what charges of taxes will be included in the new bill.

Rustam Jamali’s murder case: Additional District and Sessions Judge East Raana Zaki Shamsi on Monday dismissed a bail before arrest plea by an accused in the murder case of Mir Rustam Khan Jamali, a sitting minister of Balochistan.

Rahmanuddin moved the bail plea. He was admitted to interim bail and on Monday the matter was fixed for confirmation or otherwise bail plea. When the case was taken up, applicant/accused was called absent, after which the court dismissed the same for non-prosecution. The two accused facing charges in the murder case are Hayat Shah and Taj Muhammad alias Tajoo.

Unidentified men had gunned down Jamali on October 28, 2009 within the limits of Gulistan-e-Johar police station. The police suspected that he was killed during a foiled car-snatching bid.

During investigations, police identified the killers and prosecution maintained that he was killed due to political motives.

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