CJP suspends execution of mentally-ill prisoner

Takes exception to appointment of Punjab CM’s former principal secretary as WTO envoy

LAHORE: Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar indefinitely suspended the execution of a mentally ill woman who had been on death row for past 27 years and directed the authorities concerned to submit a medical report.

The CJP, who is heading a two-member bench at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, heard several cases.

The CJP asked the authorities concerned to submit Kanizan Bibi’s medical examination report on the day of the hearing in Islamabad. He also sought a similar report in the case of Imdad Ali, another schizophrenic prisoner, who is also on death row.

In a separate case, he took exception to the appointment of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s former principal secretary Dr Syed Tauqir Shah as ambassador and permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva and also summoned him on a date yet to be fixed.

He was given this assignment shortly after the Model Town killings.

The CJP also ordered the withdrawal of unauthorised security provided to different people and ordered the inspector general of police in Punjab to submit final compliance report in this regard.



According to an initial report submitted by Punjab Police chief Arif Nawaz, as many as 4,610 police personnel had been withdrawn. The report stated that 1,347 policemen had been withdrawn from politicians, 1,074 from civil administration and police officers, 626 from lower judiciary, 153 from media persons and media houses, 39 from lawyers, 296 from religious leaders and 1,075 from various other persons, including representatives of various local bodies.

Over the appointment of Syed Tauqir Shah, the CJP issued notice to the officer, and ordered Punjab chief secretary Capt (retd) Zahid Saeed to submit the notification of his appointment at the WTO.

During the hearing of a suo motu case on the appointment of vice chancellors at public sector medical universities, the CJP Nisar asked the chief secretary, “Where is Dr Tauqir Shah nowadays?

The chief secretary said that the federal government had appointed Shah as permanent representative to the WTO in Geneva.



“Is he so brilliant that the government has appointed him in a foreign mission?” the CJP asked.

Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafiq, who also attended the hearing, said that sometimes living abroad becomes necessary. The CJP observed that they would determine how transparent his appointment to the post was.

The bench ordered the secretary establishment to submit the record of the appointment in question and served a notice on Shah through Pakistan embassy in Switzerland.