Lahore District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ahad Cheema’s appointment was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday. The petition was filed by Azhar Siddique submitting that Cheema, a BPS-18 officer, was appointed as DCO despite the fact that the seat was reserved for a BPS-20 officer. He said that the DCO was appointed on political basis in sheer violation of Section 26 of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance. The petitioner said before being appointed as DCO, Cheema was in BPS-17 and appointed on a BPS-20 seat of secretary higher education on political basis and due to favoritism.
While working as secretary higher education, Cheema got BPS-18 and introduced the online computerised examination system for education boards, which not only failed completely but destroyed the future of many students. But surprisingly, Cheema was promoted by the Punjab government to BPS-18 and appointed DCO. As DCO, Cheema proved disastrous for the city when the dengue epidemic took his test and he failed to perform well when people expected him to play his role for ensuring quality surveillance over the departments concerned, including health, and over 300 people died due to lack of a workable life saving plan.
Siddique requested the court to cancel Cheema’s appointment as DCO and order an inquiry for his misdeeds. He also requested the court to restrain him from working and appoint him on a seat according to his pay scale until a final judgment on the petition.
LHC requested to stay admissions to medical colleges: An application has been moved in the Lahore High Court by FSc students requesting the court to stop process of admissions to government medical and dental colleges through a Combined Merit List issued by the University of Health Sciences (UHS).
The application was filed by Muhammad Zubair and other parents of FSc students, through their counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique, who submitted that the UHS had malafie intentions for issuing the Combined Merit List of medical and dental colleges, adding that it was also against the law, as their petitions were pending in court for hearing on October 24, against the entry test policy.
As the court on the last hearing had sought reply and para-wise comments on the petition from the UHS and Punjab government,
it was unlawful to complete admissions before the said date, without filing replies on the petition.
The counsel stated that if the admission process session 2011-12 in medical colleges was finalised by respondent university, the daughter of petitioner Muhammad Zubair and other applicants would suffer irreparable loss, as their fight against the faulty entry test policy would prove to be a futile exercise.
The counsel said despite the fact that Zubair’s daughter had secured 12th position in the Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, and the 16th position in the whole province in FSc examinations, she had been thrown at serial no 1914 in the UHS’s combined merit list, a vivid proof of the faulty entry test system which was destroying the futures of many intelligent students.
He said with 40 percent marks in merit for FSc and 60 percent for the entry test, the admission policy was playing havoc with the students, who are never sure about admission into colleges, despite burning midnight oil to secure good marks in the FSc examinations. He prayed to the court to suspend the combined merit list and also cancel the notification for the first admission on October 30.
LHC stays banking case against
PML-N Senator: The Lahore High Court on Saturday stayed the proceedings of a banking court against PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and others in a loan recovery case.
Justice Muhammad Khalid Mehmood Khan passed the order on a petition filed by Abida Khanum submitting that she was one of the directors of M/S Dairy and Food producers (Pvt) Limited, and the other two directors were Pir Shaukat Hussain and Senator Perviz Rasheed. She said Hussain and herself were dormant directors, whereas Senator Perviz Rasheed had resigned as director.
She submitted that a loan worth Rs 7.5 million was availed from the Zarai Taraqiati Bank (ZTB), to set up the factory from 1987 to 1990. However, due to floods, the construction work was damaged, which delayed the work for nine months, she added.
The petitioner submitted that after completion, the factory started production, which continued for few years when the then chief executive closed down the factory without informing the dormant directors.
She submitted that after closure, the machinery was stolen and a FIR was registered in this regard. However, the bank filed a recovery suit against the petitioner and seven others in the said circumstances.
She said an application was moved to ZTB for settlement but the bank did not consider it. Meanwhile, the suit was decreed but the auctioneers could not sell the property, the petitioner added.
The petitioner submitted that she again approached the bank for settlement after the launch of a new incentive policy on June 15, 2011 and the bank, through a letter, demanded that double the principle amount be deposited in three days, which was impracticable due to paucity of time.
The bank settled many cases as per the new policy, but the petitioner was discriminated against, she said and added that she was ready to pay 25 percent of the loan now, with the remaining to be paid off over two years in installments.
She asked the court stay the proceedings of the trial court. After hearing the arguments, the court stayed the proceedings and issued notices to the concerned parties. On September 21, a banking court had ordered initiation of proceedings of proclaimed offender against Perviz Rashid and others in the said case. However, on Saturday, the banking court was informed that the Lahore High court had stayed the proceedings.