Punjab Study

LAHORE:THE Lahore High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a writ petition, challenging the appointments of eight Directors of the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), till May 27.

On Thursday, a representative of PEF sought time, as its counsel was not available.

Upon this, counsel for petitioner Muhammad Azhar Siddique said the Punjab government was deliberately causing delay in the case and wasting court’s time. He pointed out that it was not a complicated case and simple question of law involved in it. The court remarked that the government committed blunders, and the people had to approach the court to get it corrected. The judge made it clear that no further adjournment would be grated on the next hearing. The Punjab government and Education Department had already submitted replies, stating that all the appointments were made according to the law. Justice Sh. Azmat Saeed was hearing a petition filed by Muhammad & Ahmad, a public litigation firm, through Counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique, submitting that the PEF was first established under the Punjab Education Foundation Act 1991. However, the said act was dissolved through the Punjab Education Foundation Act 2004 and the PEF was also dismissed, he added. According to Section 5 of the new law, the petitioner submitted that a board, comprising seven government and eight non-government directors, would be constituted to run the affairs of the foundation.

He alleged that the Punjab government through a notification dated March 18, 2011 appointed six government officers/public servants on the seats reserved for non-government directors. He contended that the said appointments were politically motivated and in violation of the law and constitution. He prayed to the court to declare the said appointments as illegal. It was also prayed through a civil miscellaneous application to stop the said directors from functioning and suspend the notification of their appointments.The news