The Lahore High Court on Wednesday asked the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) to file its comments by March 15 on challenging the process of appointing chief executive officers (CEOs) in the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO).
The order was passed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial on a petition filed by Engineer Ghazanfar Ali Khan and five others, challenging the recruitment of the new CEOs from the open market, instead of filling the posts by promoting senior officials already working in electric supply companies. On the last hearing Justice Bandial barred the federal government and the secretary for Water and Power from filing CEOs’ slots in LESCO and FESCO till further orders.
However, the court permitted the government to continue the selection process for CEOs and also issued notices to the respondents seeking a reply. During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel submitted that the recruitment process for the appointment of new CEOs of the electric supply companies, including LESCO, FESCO and seven others from the open market, were unlawfully in progress. He contended that the selection process was in violation of promotion policy and WAPDA electricity rules 1966, and prayed the court to direct the authorities to fill the posts of CEOs of LESCO and FESCO by promoting the eligible senior officers working in the engineering cadre.
Babar Awan challenges LHC-appointed ‘friends of court’: Pakistan People’s Party Senator Babar Awan moved an application in the Lahore High Court challenging the appointment of three amicus curies and friends of court, to assist the hearing of a petition that seeks his disqualification as senator.
The application will be heard by Justice Umar Ata Bandial on today.
Awan’s lawyer, Ramzan Chaudhry, challenged the LHC’s decision to appoint lawyer AK Dogar, lawyer Salman Akram Raja, lawyer Salman Mansoor and former lawyerAdvocate General Punjab Khawaja Harris, as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter against him.
He submitted that Dogar had been critical of the federal government and PPP, especially of Babar Awan, who was vice president of the party; therefore, a balanced opinion was not accepted from him. The petitioner further said that the lawyer Salman Akram Raja was the counsel for Mohsin Leghari, whose nomination papers for the Senate elections were objected by Raja Riaz, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly.
He submitted that Salman Mansoor was an additional legal advisor of the Lahore Development Authority and also belonged to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Party.
Referring to above circumstances, the petitioner contended that a balanced opinion was not accepted from the three amicus curiae due to their affiliations. He pleaded the court to remove them as amicus curiae.
LHC adjourns plea against PML-N lady Senator: Justice Umer Atta Banidal on Wednesday adjourned for today, the hearing of five petitions challenging the illegality of PML-N Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, for getting elected from a seat in Punjab.
The petitions were filed against her by Ayesha Ahsaan, Shahid Pervez and lawyer Abdul Salam Awan contending that Sadiq was a resident of the federal territory in Islamabad, and she could not be elected as senator on a seat from the Punjab province.
The petitioner also pleaded that Sadiq had been elected as a member of the National Assembly in the 2008 general elections, and therefore, she was not eligible to take part in the senate elections as MNAs and MPAs are not allowed to run for Senate seats.
Justice Banidal observed that as the matter was identical with a petition pending against Senator Babar Awan, they would be heard together with that petition today.
