KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday issued notices to the interior ministry and other respondents on a petition of former Sindh minister Sharjeel Memon seeking permission to travel abroad.

The lawyer for the petitioner submitted that the Sindh government had appointed former minister as its focal person for the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020 and he had to visit the UAE from Dec 15 to Jan 29.

Therefore, the counsel argued that the petitioner, who has been facing trial in two references filed by the National Accountability Bureau in Sindh, was required to attend the event.He further submitted that though the name of the former minister was on the exit control list (ECL), but he had travel overseas earlier after obtaining permission from the courts.

A two-judge bench of SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan issued notices to the ministry of interior, NAB, deputy attorney general and others for Nov 9.

Last year, the SHC had directed the authorities to place the names of the petitioner and other suspects on ECL after confirming their interim prearrest bail in a corruption reference about accumulation of assets beyond means.

NAB had filed the first reference in 2016 against the former minister, some officials of the information department and private persons for allegedlycommitting corruption from 2013 to 2015 in awarding advertisements of provincial government`s awareness campaigns to electronic media that caused a loss of around Rs3.27 billion.

The second reference was filed in 2019 against him, his family members and other accused for allegedly accumulating illegal assets worth around Rs2.4bn and getting properties registered in the names of his f amily members and various other people.

Mr Memon is also facing a trial before an accountability court in Islamabad regarding alleged kickbacks and bribes in the Roshan Sindh project.

Order on factory owners bail pleas today A district and sessions judgedeferred the pronouncement of his order on the bail applications of interned owners and officials of a Mehran Town factory whose 16 workers had died in a fire in Korangi.

The fire allegedly caused by an electric short-circuit engulfed the industrial unit, BM Luggage, on Aug 27 killing the 16 workers.

Factory`s owner Hassan Meetha alias Ali Meetha, its building`s owner Faisal Tariq, manager Syed Imran Ali Zaidi, supervisors Zafar and Rehan and watchman Syed Zarin have been booked for their alleged involvement in the incident.

On Friday, when the matter came up, the court once again deferred the announcement of the verdict on the bail pleas till Nov 6 (today).