Sehat card ads: IHC gives last chance to govt to submit reply

Will summon information, health secretaries if no reply tendered

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday gave last chance to the federation to submit its response in a petition filed against usage of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s flags in the advertising campaign of health cards.

In its order, the court said that it would summon secretary of the information ministry and national health services ministry if no reply was submitted till next date.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah conducted hearing on a petition challenging display of PTI’s flag on health cards filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s lawmaker Barrister Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha.

At the outset of the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Syed Tayyab Shah, on behalf of the federation, once again sought time to file a reply.

The chief justice asked the petitioner whether he had raised the issue before parliament. “Why the courts used to be dragged in political cases as it should be resolved at parliament’s forum,” he remarked.

The petitioner adopted the stance that he had submitted a complaint to the National Assembly speaker but the action was still awaited.

The court also ordered the petitioner to submit more details before the court in the next hearing as well as sought a reply from the federation in the matter.

At the last hearing, the court had in principle declared the government’s move a violation of the Supreme Court’s decision.

Barrister Ranjha has taken a stand in the petition that advertising the party flag with official resources was a violation of the apex court order. The SC had banned the promotion of political leaders, party flags, or emblems.

Pictures of Prime Minister Imran Khan are also being used in advertisements, it reads, adding that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had voluntarily returned Rs5.5 million.

“PTI should be barred from advertising party flags on health cards,” it further reads

The petition alleges that federal, health and information ministries were indiscriminately spending public funds on the PTI promotion. The court should order full implementation of the SC’s decision, it added.