Lahore - Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed of the Supreme Court Lahore Registry on Tuesday declined hearing of an appeal filed by the Punjab Government challenging order of Lahore High Court for permanent appointment of ad-hoc based pharmacists.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani had to hear the case but Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed refused to hear for personal reasons. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that he heard the same when he was at the LHC and did not want to hear it again as SC judge.
Punjab government, through its appeal, submitted that the candidates who had successfully qualified PPSC exams had been appointed on the said vacancies.
The government said that the order of the LHC to appoint ad-hoc based pharmacists in fact was against the real facts as there was no vacant post for permanent appointment of pharmacists.
However, the counsel of pharmacists told the court that pharmacists who had been working on ad-hoc basis had also passed their PPSC tests and exams. He said that LHC ordered the government to appoint them on permanent basis as they rightly deserved for that appointment. He pleaded that the appeal filed by Punjab government should be dismissed.
‘POLITICIANS SHOULD AVOID INVOLVING JUDICIARY IN THEIR AFFAIRS’
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday remarked that the judiciary cooperated with the Election Commission of Pakistan in holding the electoral process, but the rigging allegations are being levelled against it.
He gave these remarks while hearing a petition of National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq against the ECP order allowing inspection of polling record in NA-122.
Justice Bandial further remarked that the judicial officers were not answerable to the ECP. He said that politicians should avoid from involving the judiciary in their affairs. He asked the federal government to assist the court whether the returning officers were answerable to the ECP after the elections. The court adjourned further proceedings until April 16.
Ayaz Sadiq had challenged the ECP order allowing his opponent candidate Imran Khan to inspect the election record. The petitioner said that the election commission system was not in order, but the judges were blamed for it. He argued that no one should blame the judges without providing substantiated evidence in this connection.
Ahmad Awais, the counsel of PTI chairman Imran Khan, said that the election commission had powers to ask the returning officers for inspection even after the elections. Because, he argued, the People’s Representation Act had given such powers to the commission. However, petitioner’s counsel advocate Maqsooda Bukhari said that the ROs were not answerable to the ECP after the elections.
PTI chairman Imran Khan had filed an application in the Election Commission of Pakistan and requested for an inspection of the polling record. Imran had lost election from NA-122 against Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq. The ECP accepted Imran’s plea and ordered the returning officers to let him inspect record of the constituency concerned.