LAHORE  - The Lahore High Court on Monday reprimanded Rescue 1122 Director General Dr Rizwan Naseer for repeatedly interfering in the court proceedings.

Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, hearing petitions filed for the determination of competent authority to take departmental actions against the employees, remarked that the DG had held the whole government hostage.

Meanwhile, the DG thrice tried to reach the rostrum to argue before the court but he was asked by the court that he was not authtorised to argue.

One petition was filed by Shafqat Sultan who had been transferred in presence of a restraining order while the other petition was filed by Fazal Muqeem who had been issued a show cause notice by the director general.

The petitioners are of the view that the DG was not the competent authority to initiate departmental inquiries against the employees. The petitioners were represented by Shoaib Saleem and Riffat Sultan advocates. The lawyers told the court that rescue emergency counsel, which would be authorised to determine the competent authority to hold departmental inquiries, had so far not been constituted despite the passage of 13 years.

2 employees have moved court against top officer

Until the competent authority is determined, only the Services & General Administration Department (S&GAD) is authorised to use such powers, the court was further told.

Meanwhile, the Punjab chief secretary filed reply in the petitions. The reply says that S&GAD is authorised to hold departmental inquiries against the Rescue employees.

 

LHC SEEKS REPORT ON DILAPIDATED BIBI PAK DAMAN SHRINE

The Lahore High Court on Monday gave last opportunity to the Punjab chief secretary to file a report on the repair and decoration work of the shrine of Hazrat Bibi Pak Daman in the capital city. Justice Shahid Waheed also sought reply from the Bibi Pak Daman Trust and Architecture Nayyar Ali in a civil miscellaneous application and adjourned the hearing until May 6.

It was revealed that applicant Asima had been collecting funds for the repair work and decoration of the shrine. However, one Saira Batool filed objection petition against Asima’s act of collection funds for the purpose. The former is of the view that the responsibility of the shrine’s decoration is of Auqaf Department.

The petitioner says that the Auqaf Department had failed to maintain the structural affairs of the shrine. The petitioner also expressed the fear that the funds worth Rs30 million issued by the government might be embezzled. The petitioner submitted that the court may kindly order the respondents to improve the situation at the shrine.

 

LHC seeks final arguments against Haj Policy

Justice Aisha A Malik of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the lawyers to advance on Tuesday (today) their concluding arguments in petitions filed against Haj Policy 2019.

The court heard the petitions filed against the Haj policy released by the federal government under which the government had increased the amount of the government Haj scheme by Rs176,000 from Rs280,000 to Rs456,000.

The petition seeks court order against the withdrawal of the subsidy earlier offered to the pilgrims as the new policy made the pilgrimage 65 percent costlier.

On January 30, the federal cabinet approved its first Haj Policy under which over 184,000 Pakistanis are estimated to perform Haj this year.

The government had also reserved 60 percent quota for the government-sponsored Haj scheme while the remaining 40 percent was reserved for those to be fulfilling the religious obligation through private tour operators.

Also some ministers including Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri had opposed the decision to withdraw the subsidy on the religious ritual as the religious minister was not present at the presser wherein then information minister Fawad Chaudhry had announced the Haj policy.