Vacating the stay upon appointment of new pharmacists, the Lahore High Court on Thursday allowed the Punjab government and Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to finalise the process for appointment on merit, on the basis of the written test and interview.
The court passed the order while hearing petitions filed by 68 dismissed pharmacists, ad hoc and contract employees in grade 16 to 22, pleading for their regularisation and challenging the new appointments made by PPSC in their place. On a previous hearing, the court had issued stay orders against the appointment of new pharmacists by PPSC.
However, on Thursday, Justice Umer Ata Bandial observed, “What is the fault of the new pharmacists who were appointed on merit, after tests and interview through PPSC? They should not be stopped from joining on their jobs, which they on the basis of their abilities. The new people should not suffer in the middle of the present legal dispute between the contract/ad hoc pharmacists and the Punjab government on the issue of regularisation.” The judge expressed surprise, however, on the fact that the chief minister had regularised some of the contract and ad hoc pharmacists, while others had been denied regularisation.
The judge directed the dismissed pharmacists to make party in the case the pharmacists who were regularised by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. With these directions, the court adjourned hearing till December 8.
LHC SEEKS REPLY OF CABINET SECRETARY ON HAQQANI: Lahore High Court Justice Umer Ata Bandial sought reply by November 28 from the federal secretary cabinet and the government of Pakistan on a petition seeking the court’s directions on conducting a polygraphic lie detection test on Hussain Haqani and placing his name on the Exit Control List (ECL). The court directed a deputy attorney general to take instructions from the secretary cabinet on the petition and submit them in court on the next hearing. The petition was filed by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffery submitting that the name of Hussain Haqqani should be placed on ECL so he that may not flee the country in the dark of the night, like Raymond Davis. The petitioner submitted that lie detection test was necessary to resolve the controversy of the memo. The petition named Hussain Haqqani, Government of Pakistan Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Pakistan Attorney General Anwar ul Haq respondents. He also requested the court direct the respondents to submit affidavits about their moveable and unmovable assets in foreign countries.
LESCO chief engineer and others SENT ON physical remand: An accountability court on Thursday handed over Lahore Electrical Supply Company (LESCO) Chief Engineer Farrakh Ali Shah, Sub Division Officer (SDO) Manzoor Hussain and Line Superintendent Ghulam Shabbir to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on physical remand till December 8. The accused were arrested on Wednesday on charges of misappropriation of materials causing losses of Rs 4,870,000 to the national exchequer. Punjab NAB had initiated an inquiry which was subsequently upgraded to investigation against Project Director Ashiq Hussain Bhatti, Chief Engineer Farrukh Ali Shah, SDO Manzoor Hussain, Line Superintendent Ghulam Shabbir and others on a complaint by WAPDA in 2007.
