July 6, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 24,1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

RAWALPINDI, July 5: The Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, on Friday suspended the operation of the promotional examinations policy introduced by the present government under which promotional examinations for BS-18 were slated to be held on July 8, 2002, by the Federal Public Service Commission.

Justice Bashir A. Mujahid, admitted the petition for hearing and issued notice to Attorney General for Pakistan. The court ordered that the case be fixed for further hearing in week starting from July 22.

The order was passed on a writ petition filed by Aftab Ahmed Cheema, SSP Lahore, and four other civil servants, belonging to various occupational groups.

The petition originally came up for hearing on July 4 before Justice Bashir A. Mujahid and on the said date notices were issued to the Attorney General for Pakistan for July 5.

The petitioners, represented by Advocates Mustafa Ramday and Rashid Hafeez, stated that they belonged to various occupational groups, joined the service of Pakistan in 1988 after duly qualifying the Central Superior Services (CCS) examination conducted by the federal government.

The petitioners stated they underwent rigorous training prescribed for each occupational group and were confirmed in their respective posts as regular employees of the federation after they had passed final passing out.

The petitioners stated that they belonged to the 16th Common Training Programme and currently serving in BS-18. The government introduced the promotional examinational policy through an office memorandum, which, according to petitioners, was ultra vires, and its implementation was discriminatory.

On Friday, the high court after hearing the arguments by the counsels for the petitioners, suspended the operations of the office memorandums issued by the Establishment Division whereby the said policy has been promulgated.

The court was shown another memorandum whereby some of the officers of the 16th Common Training Programme were promoted without undertaking the proposed promotional examination thereby establishing discrimination based on mala fide.

As a consequence thereof, the promotional examinations purported to be held on July 8 by the Federal Public Service Commission has been stayed.