LHC suspends Punjab Governor nominations for Red Crescent Society

Petitioners contended that Punjab Governor had appointed chairman and members of RCS against the rules.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday suspended a Punjab Governor’s nomination of managing committee members of the Red Crescent Society (RCS) in Punjab.

The court had previously suspended RCS chairman Zahid Bashir, who had been appointed by the governor and authorised its managing committee to run necessary affairs.

Some members of the managing committee including Liaqat Ali Chishti and Muhammad Munawar had challenged the appointment of Bashir and later the appointments of the committee members by the governor.

The members who have been suspended included Qasim Feroz, Alhaj Muhammad Aslam Bohra, Liaqat Ali Gill, and Malik Zulfiqar Hasan Kaifi.

The petitioners had contended that the governor appointed six members of the committee purely on political grounds and in violation of the Red Crescent Society (RCS) rules. They said previously the governor had removed the former chairman and appointed Zahid Bashir as the new chairman of RSC, all the while ignoring rules. They said as per law, the governor had no role in the affairs of the society but he was trying to politicise a public welfare institution.

After hearing the contention, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah suspended the impugned notification and directed counsels of both sides to come up with their arguments on February 06.