Accommodating for security: Permanent official residence given to former chief justice

Punjab government decides to allot permanent residence to retired chief justice LHC, Khawaja Muhammad Sharif.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to allot a permanent residence to retired chief justice, Lahore High Court, Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, in Government Officers’ Residence I, Lahore.

A plot to assassinate the retired justice was foiled recently in view of which Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has directed the Secretariat to provide him with accommodation in GOR-I.

Since GOR-I is the safest residential locality, an official residence must be allotted to Justice Khwaja to avoid any untoward incident, the chief minister’s secretariat said.

The Chief Secretary, Punjab, Nasir Mehmood Khosa has opposed the allotment and said this was not a way to resolve the issue of providing security to the retired judge.

As Justice Khawaja already owns a house in Defence Housing Authority, which is considered to be a secure locality in Lahore, the government should provide security at his personal residence, he said.

The chief minister refuted the chief secretary’s objection and ordered the allotment of 3 Tollinton Lane, GOR-I to the ex-judge.

The allotment of an official residence to a retired official is without precedent, said a secretariat official who did not wish to be named.

Out of 161 bungalows in GOR-I, 26 have been allotted to the LHC and Supreme Court judges.

The allotment made for security reasons is in violation of all relevant rules and policies. Now there will be four retired judges residing in the locality.

According to the Policy Governing Allotment of Government Residences, 2009, “No retired/re-employed person shall be entitled to the allotment or retention of an official accommodation beyond the permissible retention period allowed on retirement/superannuation”.

The retention period of an ordinary house is six months and a designated house is two months. A retired or re-employed official on contract may not be allotted an official residence, reads the policy document.

Justice Khwaja has been residing at 11-Akiman Road GOR-I, designated for the chief justice of LHC for the past decade.

Khawaja Muhammad Sharif was appointed Advocate General Punjab in May 1997. On May 20, 1998 he was elevated to the position of additional judge LHC. He became LHC chief justice on April 14, 2009 and retired from service after attaining superannuation of 62 year age on December 8. Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry was sworn in as the new chief justice of the LHC and the designated house would be given to him after expiry of mandatory period of two months (February 8, 2011).

Justice (retired) Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, who is now working as an ad-hoc judge of the Supreme Court, is in possession of 4-Danepur Lane GOR-I. He has already been allotted an official residence in Islamabad.

Kazim Ali Malik, a retired district and sessions judge, was re-employed on contract basis, in relaxation of the Re-employment Policy, 2003 and Contract Appointment Policy, 2004. He was nominated as DG ACE on October 1, 2009. He has been residing at 13-Danepur Lane GOR-I since then.

Former president, Justice retired Muhammad Rafique Tarar, has been allotted 1-Shanan Road, GOR-I.

The government feels it is its responsibility to allot him a house in a secure locality and DHA is not as safe as GOR-I, clarified Senator Pervaiz Rashid, spokesperson for the Punjab government. When the allotment policy was formulated the security situation was not as grave, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2010.