Propriety: Ashiana ballot was fair, transparent, High Court told

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Wednesday adjourned the hearing for final arguments of a writ petition that questioned the Punjab government’s Ashiana Housing Scheme to September 13.

The scheme aims at providing inexpensive and adequate residential facility to low income people in the province.

Additional Advocate General Hanif Khatana submitted that the allotment ballot was held temporarily and its results had been released for the public on the internet.

He said the government had no malafide intention.

Petitoner Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree had questioned the process and said that while providing houses at an affordable price to the poor was a good move which would also go a long way in meeting their residential needs, the allotments were not transparent and fair.

He had prayed to the court to pass a direction to the respondents to infuse transparency and equity in the scheme so that deserving people could benefit from it and the actual purpose of the scheme could be met.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2011.