LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday restrained the Punjab government from dispossessing the owners of the properties/land being acquired for establishing the Garments City on Sheikhupura Road.

The bench also directed the government to submit its reply to the petitions and adjourned hearing until Feb 3.

The petitioners had submitted that the government was planning to construct the Garments City on the agricultural land and the agriculture sector would be hit hard if the process was not stopped.

Moreover, they said, the project would economically affect the farmers.

They prayed to the court to stop the government from dispossessing them of their properties for the project.

After hearing the contention, the bench passed an interim order against acquisition of the land from its owners and directed the government to come with a reply.

Another judge of the Lahore High Court has already stayed the land acquisition process for the project and an appeal of the government to vacate the stay is pending adjudication.

LAW OFFICER SCOLDED:Hearing a petition of former general Ziauddin Butt, the Lahore High Court on Monday scolded a deputy attorney general for repeatedly seeking adjournments to submit a reply of the federal government in the case.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan gave last opportunity to the law officer when the latter requested the judge to give more time to file the government`s reply. The judge warned the officer of stern action in case he failed to submit the reply.

The ex-general sought release of his post-retirement benefits and to declare his removal by the then army chief Pervez Musharraf as illegal.

The petitioner submitted that then president Rafiq Tarar had on Oct 12, 1999 appointed him as chief of army staff on recommendations of the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

He said, soon after his appointment he along with the PM was detained by armed troops inside the Prime Minister House and later put into solitary confinement for two years.

He pleaded that being holder of a constitutional post he could not be ousted except in accordance with law and could not be sacked from service by a usurper (Musharraf). He said his right to the grant of pension had also been snatched without providing himopportunity of hearing.

The petitioner urged the court to declare his removal illegal and order the authorities concerned to release his properties and the post-retirement benefits.

REPLY SOUGHT: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notices to the Punjab government and police on a petition questioning `impasse` in investigation of actress Sapna Khan`s alleged kidnap-cummurder case.

Khan`s father Missal Khan had filed the petition saying the police had not even recorded statements of former stopgap chief minister Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa and other accused in the case.

He said the Racecourse police had registered a case in 2012 against Khosa on charges of kidnapping and murdering his former wife (Sapna). He said since then neither the police arrested Khosa nor he secured bail from any court in the case.

He said the police could not recover Sapna without the arrest of the accused (Khosa).

The petitioner requested the court to direct the police to arrest the accused and submit challan of the case after completing investigation.

The court adjourned hearing till Feb 3 and sought replies from the government and the police.