Contempt of court: Top city officials summoned

Appointments made in the revenue department despite restraint orders from court.

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued contempt of court notices to top official of capital administration on Friday. Upholding the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench’s verdict on appointments in the revenue department, the IHC judge summoned Chief Commissioner Tariq Mehmood Pirzada and Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Farasat Ali Khan for appointing patwaris (revenue officials) in the city in violation of LHC orders.

In November last year, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Khan of Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench had restrained the Islamabad administration from making any fresh appointments of patwaris in revenue department.

Chaudhry Waqar Ahmed, from Islamabad, who was a candidate of the post of revenue officer, through his lawyer Chaudhry Imtiaz Ahmed filed a petition against the officials.

The petitioner said that he had moved the LHC against the permanent appointments of revenue officers in federal capital who had come from others provinces on deputation.

He further maintained that they did not have the domicile of federal capital, and the making dual domicile was against the rules of Land Record Manual of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). “Those revenue officers have the right to be appointed in the department who have domiciles of the federal capital,” said petitioners’ lawyer.

He further told the court that Justice Ijaz Ahmed of LHC had restrained them from making any fresh appointments. “Still Mir Barkat Ali Talpur was appointed on January 15,” he said.

Court put this matter till January 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2011.