Irregular appointments: SC summons attorney-general
Court also seeks records of illegal hiring in the PQA.
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court (SC) has summoned the attorney-general of Pakistan (AGP) in the case of the appointment of commerce minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s brother-in-law in violation of Port Qasim Authority’s (PQA) rules.
The court also sought records of all illegal appointments made in the PQA.
A four-member SC bench, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, resumed hearing of the case on Tuesday.
Petitioner Abdul Jabbar Memon told the bench that appointments are still being made by former minister for ports and shipping Babar Ghauri despite his resignation.
Counsel for ports and shipping ministry Justice (retd) Shaiq Usmani presented the record but the bench did not accept it and directed him to submit it through a proper channel.
Usmani also requested the bench to rule that this record be kept private. Justice Iqbal remarked: “Don’t you know the entire matter is published in newspapers. This case is now public property.”
Memon also informed the court that during the last three years, 660 illegal appointments were made in the PQA. He said that apart from the appointment of Amin’s relative Mahmood Zameer Ahmed Farooqi, Ghauri had appointed many of his relatives or friends and gave the names of Agha Kumail, Syed Suleman Hussain Rizvi, Tariq Aziz, Lt (retd) Akhtar Javed, Sarfraz Akram, Wasif Aqeel, Saira Arshad, Mirza Azher Baig and Nauman Khan. He also produced a letter by PQA’s labour union’s president Ibrahim Mangi in which he informed the president about irregular appointments. The letter was forwarded to the prime minister.
The hearing was adjourned till January 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2011.
The Supreme Court (SC) has summoned the attorney-general of Pakistan (AGP) in the case of the appointment of commerce minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s brother-in-law in violation of Port Qasim Authority’s (PQA) rules.
The court also sought records of all illegal appointments made in the PQA.
A four-member SC bench, headed by Justice Javed Iqbal, resumed hearing of the case on Tuesday.
Petitioner Abdul Jabbar Memon told the bench that appointments are still being made by former minister for ports and shipping Babar Ghauri despite his resignation.
Counsel for ports and shipping ministry Justice (retd) Shaiq Usmani presented the record but the bench did not accept it and directed him to submit it through a proper channel.
Usmani also requested the bench to rule that this record be kept private. Justice Iqbal remarked: “Don’t you know the entire matter is published in newspapers. This case is now public property.”
Memon also informed the court that during the last three years, 660 illegal appointments were made in the PQA. He said that apart from the appointment of Amin’s relative Mahmood Zameer Ahmed Farooqi, Ghauri had appointed many of his relatives or friends and gave the names of Agha Kumail, Syed Suleman Hussain Rizvi, Tariq Aziz, Lt (retd) Akhtar Javed, Sarfraz Akram, Wasif Aqeel, Saira Arshad, Mirza Azher Baig and Nauman Khan. He also produced a letter by PQA’s labour union’s president Ibrahim Mangi in which he informed the president about irregular appointments. The letter was forwarded to the prime minister.
The hearing was adjourned till January 25.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2011.