LAHORE – Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked on Friday that President Asif Ali Zardari was not above the Constitution of Pakistan despite being respectable as head of the state.
While hearing a petition seeking contempt proceedings against the PPP’s co-chairman, Bandial on Friday issued notice to principal secretary of the president and sought reply from him. The court forwarded the contempt petition for formation of a full bench that would start hearing next week.
During the course of the hearing, the chief justice inquired from the petitioner’s counsel how the president had committed contempt of court. The counsel produced press clippings and photos showing a meeting of PPP stalwarts chaired by Asif Ali Zardari. After reviewing the press clippings, Bandial observed that prima facie it seemed that the president had committed contempt of court.
“Under the Constitution of Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari can’t hold meetings of his political party at the presidency. The President is a respectable personality of the country, but it doesn’t mean that he is above the Constitution, law and his oath,” CJ Bandial further observed.
Azhar Siddique Advocate had filed the contempt petition and submitted that Zardari had not disassociated himself from the political office of co-chairman of the ruling PPP as was expected following a ruling given by the Lahore High Court in May last on the issue of the President’s dual offices.
In this judgement the LHC bench had not ordered the president to relinquish the position of co-chairman, but expected that the president should cease the use of the presidency premises for the political meetings of his party.
ENHANCED SECURITY AT LHC: On the directions of the Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice, Registrar Sohail Nasir has showed deep concern over an occurrence between two parties on the premises of the LHC on Thursday last.
Nasir directed the DSP Security to enhance security arrangements and clarified that no one would be allowed to create law and order situation on the premises of the LHC, warning that such elements shall be dealt strictly in accordance with the law.
The registrar had earlier conveyed his displeasure to the city traffic officer (CTO) over the absence of wardens at the Judges Gate of the LHC. As a result, on Friday, the DSP Traffic visited all adjacent roads to the LHC and directed the wardens to perform their duty with devotion, so as to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The CTO also issued show cause notices to Wardens Farooq Salak and Ibraheem who had been found absent from their duty.
VERDICT RESERVED: The Lahore High Court (LHC) reserved on Friday verdict on a petition challenging a controversial contract worth Rs490 million for the purchase of 112 used ambulances from a China-based company in violation of recommendations of the Technical Bid Evaluation Committee (TBEC).
The court had already restrained the provincial government from releasing funds in pursuance of the contract. During the course of hearing, a provincial government’s lawyer told the court of Justice Aysha A Malik that the LHC had no jurisdiction to hear the case.
However, petitioner Shahid Akram’s counsel Muhammad Sultan Gujjar told the court that a Standing Purchase Committee (SPC) of the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) headed by the Punjab home secretary had approved the purchase contract of 112 Chinese ambulances in violation of the recommendations of the TBEC.
He requested the court to set aside the contract by declaring it as illegal and unlawful. After recording arguments, the court reserved verdict that would be announced later..