SC wants to know legal status of commission-approved PSE chiefs

Hearing adjourned for two weeks

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to Attorney General of Pakistan over the legal status of organisational heads appointed by a government commission.

The commission had been formed in view of the court’s June 12, 2013, verdict for selecting heads of various statutory, autonomous and regulatory bodies.

The apex court in its November 14 judgment had excluded the condition of a commission for top-level appointments.

The judgment – authored by Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry – says the SC’s June 2013 ruling had overlooked the provisions of Article 90 of the Constitution.

During the hearing on Wednesday against the appointment of Pakistan Television (PTV) Managing Director (MD) Muhammad Malick, the three judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, observed that while the court had excluded the condition of the commission in its recent verdict, it was still necessary to examine the legal status of those appointments had already been made.

Hearings of case were then adjourned for two weeks.

Earlier, the government had appointed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Member Technical, Member Finance (ii) Pakistan Television Corporation MD and Pakistan Steel Mills Limited chairman through the commission.

According to the list, there are 22 statutory bodies and 33 Public Sector Companies established under Companies Ordinance, 1984, whose heads have yet to be appointed by the commission.