Govt directed to appoint permanent LDA DG

LAHORE:

Last week, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the provincial government to appoint a permanent director general (DG) of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).

On March 17, Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan of the LHC had issued the order after he was informed that the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park chief executive officer Ahad Cheema had been given additional charge of LDA DG.

The judge directed Cheema to appear in person on the next date of hearing, along with a reply informing the court in writing about how much time he was spending looking after the affairs of LDA as well as proof and details of the remuneration he was drawing from both the posts.

In the written order, the judge said that a person holding the additional charge of the post of LDA DG would not have sufficient time to properly look after the affairs of the department. “That is why his subordinate officers/officials are indulging in undesired practices and running the institution at their own whims and caprices without any fear of checks and balances. It is quite astonishing that such an important responsibility has been given additionally to a person who is already engaged with the Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park power project. Is there a dearth of competent civil servants in the province or is Ahad Cheema vested with such extraordinary human powers that he can take on his shoulders the executive responsibilities of two important assignments simultaneously?” the judgment read. “Though the court is least concerned as to which civil servant is appointed on which particular post. Nevertheless, it is the prime duty of this court to protect the right to life, property and liberty of the citizens of this country. When a particular department of the government is failing to render services to the people in a responsible manner or is negligent in doing so, then this court is under its constitutional mandate to pass such directions as it may deem appropriate and expedient to streamline the working potential of the department,” the judge said.

Legal experts said that the government should make all appointments on merit. “Such instances bring a bad name to the government,” they said.

MQM

Last week, Justice Shahid Waheed of the LHC dismissed a petition seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate allegations of foreign funding for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

“It is the prerogative of the government to constitute the commission or otherwise,” the judge said. Barrister Ali Gillani had filed the petition. When asked under what law the court could order the government to constitute the commission, Gillani could not give an appropriate answer. The court then declared the petition as non-maintainable.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st,  2016.