PHC outlaws use of Pakistan Citizen's Portal against public servants

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stopped authorities from taking action against employees of the provincial government against whom complaints had been lodged on Pakistan Citizen's Portal (PCP) and Prime Minister's Performance Delivery Unit (PMDU).

A writ petition was filed by a prominent lawyer Aurangzeb Advocate in this regard. The reserved verdict was announced by PHC's Mingora bench, comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmed.

The verdict outlawed the use of PCP and PMDU against the employees of the provincial government. Advocate Aurangzeb had contended that under Article 99 of the Constitution the usage of the portal does not apply to employees of the provincial government, adding that its illegal use should be stopped.

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The lawyer had also taken a stand in the writ petition that his client Ziaullah had been legally arrested due to a complaint on the portal and a case had been registered against him.

The court, in its judgement, granted the writ petition and directed that the PCP and the PMDU cannot be used against the employees of the provincial government.

The PCP was launched on October 28, 2018, by Prime Minister Imran Khan with an aim to timely address problems of the people. PM Imran called it one of the manifestations of "New Pakistan".

An app is available on the Google play store on android mobiles where people can register and post their complaints against government offices and employees.

The basic purpose is to redress the grievances of citizens online and expeditiously.