By the book: Verdict on plea against MPAs’ appointments

Appointment of 12 MPAs as directors of public companies has been challenged

LAHORE: Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday reserved a verdict on a petition challenging the appointment of 12 MPAs as directors of five public sector companies.

Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly Mehmoodur Rasheed had moved the petition submitting that Ramazan Siddique Bhatti had been appointed as director of the Lahore Transport Company; MPAs Nasreen Nawaz, Kiran Dar and Ramazan Siddique Bhatti of the Lahore Parking Company; MPAs Kashif Padhiar, Aman Ullah Khan, Qazi Adnan Fareed, Rana Baber Hussain, Chaudhry Lal Hussain, Mahmood Qadir Khan, Qamarul Islam, and Waheed Gul of the Punjab Saaf Pani Company; MPA Majid Zahoor of the Lahore Waste Management Company; and MPA Hussain Jahanian Gardezi of the Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company.

The petitioner said the MPAs had been appointed directors in violation of Section 3(7) of the Public Sector Companies Corporate Government Rules 2013. He said that under the section anyone holding a political or a legislative office was not eligible for the appointment.

He submitted that the appointment of the MPAs was illegal and was a case of political interference and conflict of interest. He said the government was responsible for managing the affairs of these companies transparently and fairly. He said in appointing incumbent MPAs to the board of directors the government had indulged in malpractice.

Rasheed had requested the court to issue directives for the provincial government to implement the Public Sector Companies’ Corporate Governance Rules of 2013 which prohibit lawmakers from working on the board of directors of public sector companies. He also sought directives for the Law Ministry, the chief secretary and the companies concerned to abstain from appointing any member of a political party or a legislator to such positions. The government had told the court that no rules had been violated during the appointment.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2016.