LAHORE – Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday ordered the Ministry of Religious Affairs to allot quota to new Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) within 24 hours and submit compliance report of court orders.
Following notices, Secretary Religious Affairs Azam Samma, Additional Secretary Muhammad Arshad, Joint Secretary Sher Ali and other officials appeared before the court. The chief justice warned the officials to avoid creating hurdles in allotment of quota to HGOs.
The chief justice observed the Supreme Court and high court had ordered the ministry to distribute quota to all eligible new tour operators. But, ministry’s officials did not bother to obey judicial orders.
Many new Haj tour operators had filed contempt petitions against ministry’s officials for not obeying court orders for allotment of Haj quota to them on merit.
Petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique told the court that the LHC on June 6 had ordered about allocation of Haj quota to new tour operators. He submitted court had directed the ministry to award quota of 5,000 pilgrims to newly registered tour operators but the ministry in connivance with old tour operators had decided not to allocate quota to new operators.
Also, the LHC once again warned the young doctors not to indulge in protest activities till the matter of their service structure was sub judice before the court.
Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan was hearing a contempt of court petition moved by Judicial Activism Panel against the Young Doctors Association (YDA).
Advancing arguments against continuous protests by the YDA, the petitioner’s counsel Azhar Siddique said the court had clearly restrained the association from protests and agitation. But, he said the young doctors violated the orders and started protest activities. The counsel said the protests of the doctors increased miseries of poor patients at government hospitals.
Representing YDA, Advocate Raja Zulqarnain argued the government was delaying the matter of service structure. He said cold response from the government forced the doctors to hold protests again.
An additional advocate general Faisal Zaman informed the court that a sub-committee made by the government was finalising its recommendations about the service structure for young doctors. He also said challan had been submitted against the accused doctors in minor boy death case.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan directed the law officer to produce report of the sub-committee on next hearing and also directed the YDA leaders not to hold protests. The court will resume hearing on October 5.
SHOW-CAUSE NOTICE: The LHC issued show-cause notice to Additional Inspector General of Police for making a false statement before the court and sought explanation from him.
The contempt petition was moved by Rashid Mahmood, an Inspector of Crime Investigating Department (CID) of Police seeking confirmation of his seniority.
The court had summoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), but Additional IGP Malik Khuda Bakhsh Awan appeared on Monday and informed the court that Punjab Services Tribunal (PST) had ordered to consider the petitioner for seniority according to merit. The petitioner’s seniority had been considered and according to merit but he did not deserve the same.
The court rejected his statement and said the PST had clearly ordered to give seniority to the petitioner.
Justice Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Khan issued show-cause notice to Awan and asked him to explain his statement. The court deferred the hearing until October 7 and directed the additional IGP to appear in person.
The petitioner had submitted that the court had ordered the police to implement the Punjab service tribunal’s verdict ordering to confirm and promote the petitioner from 1992.