PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday stopped the capital city`s district administration and police from dislodging the Peshawar Culture Festival organisers from the event`s venue and sought a written reply from the administration on a petition against the cancellation of the no objection certificate issued to him for holding the festival.

A bench comprising Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth fixed for Oct 14 the next hearing into a petition filed by a private event management company, The Mass Media Link Ltd, with the direction that the respondents including the district administration furnish written replies until then.

The company had organised the Peshawar Culture Festival, which was to be inaugurated by Peshawar district nazim Asim Khan on Sept 30.

However, on the same day, it received an order from the administration suggesting cancellation of the NOC, issued to organisers, for security reasons.

Essa Khan, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client was a private company promoting cultural activities, including cultural festivals and exhibitions, in order to provide affordable entertainment to the people at their nearest places and to create awareness regarding cultural heritage.

He said few weeks ago, the company had applied to the administration for holding a 21-day Peshawar Cultural Festival.

The lawyer added that after it fulfilled all legal requirements, the Peshawar deputy commissioner gave NOC to the company to hold the festival on the plot of the proposed Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Peshawar.

He said after receiving NOC, the company transported the required items including those related to circus, zoo, stalls, etc to Peshawar and that the administration also provided proper security to them.

Essa Khan said the company had distributed invitation cards, published and displayed advertisements and had completed all arrangements for the event but at the eleventh hour, the deputy commissioner cancelled the NOC.

He added that the DC had cited security reasons for the cancellation of the event. He added that the company had been facing irreparable loss as so far it had spent around Rs1.8 million on the activity.

The counsel stated that now the administration and police had been harassing them and asking them to vacate the venue of the festival.

CONVICTION SET ASIDE: A high court bench set aside the conviction of three people by the trial court in an honourrelated murder in Swabi.

Justice Qaisar Rasheed and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani accepted criminal appeals of the appellants and ruled that the prosecution could not prove its case against the three appellants including Qari Abdul Ghafoor, Ayaz Khan and Nighat.

Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Gul Daraz Khan, lawyers for the appellants, said their clients were arrested in connection with the killing of Ali Yar Khan in Swabi and that the trial court had sentenced them to life imprisonment and Rs600,000 fine.