January 4, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 19, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 3: The Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, on Thursday directed the Federal Government to immediately appoint a chairman of the Federal Service Tribunal.

After hearing petitioner Shoaib Shaheen, Justice Maulvi Anwarul Haq ordered the government to immediately appointment an FST chairman.

The petitioner argued that FST was the only judicial forum where civil servants and employees of the corporations could go for redressal of their grievances.

The petitioner stated that after the retirement of Jalaluddin Akbar as chairman of the FST on Dec 13, the federal government had not appointed a new chairman.

According to law, he said, no judicial function could be performed without the appointment of the FST chairman. Eight judicial members of the FST were sitting idle from Dec 13 as, under the law, they could not perform their judicial functions, he said.

Two benches at Islamabad, one at Lahore, and one Karachi were not functioning due to non-availability of the chairman, the petitioner stated.

The court also issued a directive that a copy of the petition, along with the court order, should be sent to the federal government.