Representation of people: LHC summons federal agencies

Court was asked to summon tax, police records of election candidates.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the Federal Board of Revenue, the National Accountability Bureau, the inspector general of police and the Federal Investigation Agency for the last week of February on a petition questioning the eligibility criteria for candidates in local government elections.

Petitioner Munir Ahmed had requested the court to summon tax, education and criminal records of candidates for local government elections. He said returning officers had failed to obtain these details from candidates.

He said the court should summon the inspector general, the FIA director general, the NAB chairman and the FBR to ensure that no tax defaulter or a fake degree holder could take part in the elections.

The petitioner also asked the court to direct the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure that Article 62, which outlines qualifications a candidate must have, and Article 63, which outlines reasons for disqualifying a candidate, are applied to local government election candidates.

The petitioner also asked the court to direct the federal government to explain what instructions, if any, had been relayed to returning officers for determining a candidate’s eligibility.

In particular, he said, it should say whether fake degrees holders, loan defaulters, tax evaders and dual nationals would be barred from running.

LHC seeks final comments from petitioner

The Lahore High Court on Monday sought final arguments by February 11 on a petition accusing the government of failing to make arrangements to control dengue fever outbreak.

The LHC issued these directions after reviewing a report submitted by Dr Jaffar Ilyas, the health services additional director general.

Ilyas said the department had imported medicines approved by the World Health Organisation.

He said no spurious, unapproved or expired medicines had been used. He said because of the steps taken by the Health Department, the number of deaths caused by dengue fever had come down.

He said the government hoped to soon report complete success in this regard.

The petitioner had said the government was falsely claiming control of the dengue fever epidemic.

He submitted that dengue fever might break out again because the government had not taken comprehensive precautions to control it.

He said if timely action was not taken, a large number of people could lose their lives.

He said because to poor arrangements made by the government last year, many people died.

He said on February 22, 2013, it was found that the dengue had started affecting people in Lahore but the government did not do anything about it.

He said millions of rupees had been embezzled in the purchase of anti-dengue medicines from January 2012 to September 2013.

He said some department officials were involved in the purchase of substandard and expired anti-dengue medicines.

LHC summons deputy attorney general

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial summoned a deputy attorney general for assistance on Monday regarding a petition for stopping ‘unnecessary’ media coverage of former president General Pervez Musharraf.

Advocate Afaq Ahmad, the petitioner, and said that Musharraf had abrogated the Constitution twice and imposed emergency in the country. Ahmad said the election commission had disqualified Musharraf for contesting elections under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. He said a special court was to hear the former military ruler’s trial. Despite the fact that Musharraf was facing high treason charges he was still being given extensive coverage by the media, said Ahmad. He requested that a ban be imposed on the allegedly needless promotion of Musharraf.

The chief justice directed a federal government law officer to appear on January 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2014.