LAHORE - The Lahore High Court yesterday stayed the termination of 160 employees of Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Pida) and adjourned further hearing after the winter vacation.
As hearing commenced, a law officer appeared before the court and stated that the employees were not being terminated; their contract was being extended till Dec 30. He said that the employees had to go through the scrutiny process.
Abdul Qayyum and others had filed the contempt petition against the Pida Secretary and pointed out that they had been working with the department for last 15 to 17 years but the secretary terminated them just for being contact employees.
They also approached their department’s secretary that they were regularized through two notifications issued in 1998 and 1999 but he did not consider their plea and terminated them.
They pleaded the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the secretary.
Complete record summoned in pilot’s bail case: The Lahore High Court yesterday directed the prosecution to present complete record including flight data and safety investigation report on bail application of Asmat Mahmood a pilot of Shaheen Airline.
The pilot is accused of crash-landing under the influence of liquor. The court adjourned further hearing until January 13, 2016.
Asmat Mahmood, accused pilot, allegedly crash-landed a Shaheen Airline plane at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. The Sarwar road police had arrested Asmat Mehmood for allegedly crash-landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport on November 3 allegedly under the influence of liquor.
A special anti-terrorism court on December 4 had rejected bail petition of Asmat Mehmood.
On Tuesday, the counsel of Asmat Mahmood told the bench that the captain was forced to crash land, as there was a technical fault erupted in the landing gear of the plane. He said the pilot had no other option but to crash land the plane to save lives of the passengers on board.
He stated that the applicant had already informed the control room about the plane condition. He said that false allegation of pilot drunken stage were leveled. He asserted that the whole case was politically motivated and a bid to save the real culprits.
He pleaded the court that after completing the investigation from the accused, he was sent behind the bars on judicial remand and now he should be granted concession of bail.