Moving forward: SC updated on appointments of state entities’ heads

Govt was told to fill all vacancies by the end of last year

Hasnaat Malik March 24, 2015

Govt was told to fill all vacancies by the end of last year PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD:

The Establishment Division has informed the Supreme Court that the federal government has completed the process of appointing heads of various statutory, autonomous and regulatory bodies.

However, submitting its final report before the apex court, the Establishment Division disclosed that the matter of appointing the managing director of the Utility Stores Corporation and the chairman of the Engineering Board was under process.

Likewise, the court was told that the appointment of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority chairman was still pending as the matter is sub judice in the Islamabad High Court.

As for the appointment of head of the National Fertilizers, the court was told that the prime minister had approved the summary to advertise the post, adding that head of the Pakistan Dental Council would be appointed by the council itself; therefore, the government could not interfere in the process.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had reversed former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s judgment regarding formation of a commission for selecting heads of various statutory, autonomous and regulatory bodies. In 2013, Justice Chaudhry – while giving a judgment in the Khawaja Asif case – had directed the newly elected Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz government to constitute a hiring commission to ensure merit in all future top-level public appointments.

Seventeen months later, the federal government requested the top court to review its judgment and Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt argued against the verdict before a bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk.

Subsequently, the court removed the condition and ordered the government to appoint the heads of various government institutions by the end of December 2014.

The judgment, authored by Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, said the top court’s June 2013 ruling had overlooked the provisions of Article 90 of the constitution.

In its verdict, the court had observed that there were no impediments in the process of appointments and that they should be made by the end of December 2014.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2015.