LAHORE - Friday formed the Standing Council on Climate Change, which would work as a link between the court and the government for implementation of the National Climate Policy. The National Climate Policy is aimed at checking impact of climate change on Pakistan.

Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah made the council on a petition moved by agriculturalist Asghar Leghari and dissolved the Climate Change Commission. Dr Pervez Hassan will be chairman of the council and advocate general of Punjab, Climate Change Ministry secretary, CEO and national programme director of LEAD Pakistan, chairman of the Planning and Development Department and environment expert Saima Amin Khawaja would be members of the commission.

REPLY SOUGHT FROM ECP

The Lahore High Court on Friday issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a petition seeking disqualification of PML-N MPA Tariq Mehmood.

Mubeen Hayat, son of Punjab’s former interim chief minister Mian Afzal Hayat, had moved the petition through Advocate Mubeen Qazi and submitted that Mehmood did not give details of his assets in his nomination papers. Mehmood was elected MPA on PML-N ticket from PP-113 constituency in the 2013 general elections.  Mehmood was bound to disclose his assets under the law, but he did not do so, the lawyer said. He said that Mehmood had been working abroad but he did not disclose these details. By concealing assets and other details about his job abroad, the respondent MPA committed violation of law, the petitioner said. He asked the court to declare the respondent ineligible for any public office. After hearing initial arguments, Justice Ayesha A. Malik issued notices to the ECP and sought reply.