LHC dismisses plea challenging civil awards

The LHC has dismissed a constitutional petition challenging the conferment of Pakistan Civil Awards under the category of "Public Service", ruling that the Constitution does not restrict public service to unpaid or voluntary civic work.

In its 11-page judgement issued on Wednesday, Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad dismissed the petition, filed by Ashba Kamran, in limine, holding that the petitioner was seeking to introduce qualifications into Article 259(2) that were not contained in its text.

The court observed that the article expressly includes "public service" among the fields in which the President may confer decorations.