Petition seeking appointment in foreign mission dismissed

ISLAMABAD:

A court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking appointments of officers of Commerce and Trade Group as commercial attachés in foreign missions.

Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan of Islamabad High Court observed in his order that there was no specific policy for appointment of commercial attachés in Pakistani missions therefore the petitioners were not an aggrieved party.

Nasir Hameed and two others officers had filed the petition in which they maintained that the government had issued a notification on November 2011 reserving 50 per cent of commercial officer slots for the commerce and trade group, but they have been ‘maliciously’ ignored.

The petitioners’ counsel maintained that some commercial attaches were appointed on “political basis and in violation of the policy as they were not government employees”.

During the course of the hearing, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Tariq Mehmood informed the court that the government was following proper procedure, adding that he wished the petitioners would also follow it. Mehmood informed the court that a similar petition had been dismissed last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2012.