LAHORE - The Lahore High Court on Monday issued notice to the secretary finance and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) President Syed Ali Raza on a petition challenging the presidents appointment for an indefinite term. The court issued notice for June 16 on a petition moved by Umar Hayat Khawaja, a former banker, who had implicated the secretary for ministry of finance, the State Bank of Pakistan and the NBP as respondents in the case. The petitioner submitted the finance ministry had issued a notification on June 13, 2000, appointing Syed Ali Raza as the NBP president for a first three-year term. He said after the expiry of the term in June 2003, Syed Ali Raza was reappointed as the president for a second term that also expired in 2006. He alleged to illegally accommodate Syed Ali Raza for a third term, the Banks Nationalization Act 1974 was amended by the then president, Pervez Musharraf, vide Banks (Nationalization) Amendment Ordinance, 2006 (Ordinance No XII of 2006), which was promulgated on May 31, 2006. He pleaded the ordinance lapsed after four months of its promulgation but the finance ministry after the issuance of the Finance Act, mistakenly believed the amendment through the ordinance had become an Act. He said Raza was again appointed for a fourth term for one year from July 1, 2009 to June 2010. Petitioner said the bank chairman, president or any other members of the board of directors could be appointed for two terms of three years each and there was no provision for reappointing a president for a third or further terms by the ministry of finance. He submitted Syed Ali Raza had also assumed illegally and without lawful authority the post of chairman of the board of directors and the ministry of finance had never issued any order in this regard. He stated Syed Ali Raza was appointed against the salary of Rs 150,000 but he himself enhanced his salary up to Rs 600,000 and even Syed Ali Raza also awarded himself cash prizes in violation of law as only secretary finance was authorized to do it. The petitioner requested to set aside the extension granted to the respondent and directed the government to fill the vacancy afresh on merit.