Supreme court wants to know if nepotism was involved

Chief justice asked whether federal cabinet had approved appointment of Usman Akhtar Bajwa as new chief of CDA

ISLAMABAD: The top court on Thursday summoned records of the steps the government took while appointing the new chairman of the civic body.

The order came as a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, heard a suo moto case regarding illegal marquees and wedding halls operating in the capital.

During the case, the chief justice asked whether the federal cabinet had approved the appointment of Usman Akhtar Bajwa as the new chief of the CDA, remarking that public office holders should be appointed on merit, not through nepotism.

Bajwa had been appointed on January 26, almost a month after the former incumbent, Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz, was removed after the Islamabad High Court termed the appointment as illegal.

The court has also directed CDA to regularize 70 marriage halls and marquee.

Bajwa told the bench that a meeting of the CDA board meeting is scheduled to be held next week for reviewing the matter.

The bench subsequently asked him to submit a report by Tuesday, February 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2018.